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Strengthening Positive Coparenting in Teen Parents: A Cultural Adaptation of an Evidence-Based Intervention

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Abstract

Teen childbearing is associated with a range of adverse outcomes for both mothers and children, and perpetuates an intergenerational cycle of socioeconomic disadvantage. Fathers may be an underappreciated source of support to teen mothers and their children. The strongest and most consistent predictor of positive father involvement is a positive coparenting relationship between the mother and father. Thus, strengthening the coparenting relationship of teen parents may be protective for both parents and children. This paper describes the rationale, the intervention model, and the cultural adaptation of Strong Foundations, an intervention designed to facilitate and enhance positive coparenting in teen parents. Adapted from an evidence-based coparenting program for adult, cohabiting parents, this intervention was modified to be developmentally and culturally appropriate, acceptable, and feasible for use with urban, low-income, minority expectant teen mothers and their male partners. The authors present lessons learned from the cultural adaptation of this innovative intervention. Pilot testing has shown that this model is both acceptable and feasible in this traditionally hard to reach population. Although recruitment and engagement in this population present specific challenges, young, urban minority parents are deeply interested in being effective coparents, and were open to learning skills to support this goal.

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Acknowledgments

The project described was supported by Grant Number 1 APHPA006067-01-00 from US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the OAPP or HHS. Support was also provided by the Children’s Research Institute at Children’s National Medical Center.

Conflict of interest

Mark Feinberg has an ownership interest in a company that disseminates the original version of Family Foundations. None of the other authors has any conflict of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Science, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Amy Lewin & Damian M. Waters

  2. Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health, Children’s National Health System, Washington, DC, USA

    Stacy Hodgkinson, Henry A. Prempeh & Lee S. Beers

  3. Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Mark E. Feinberg

Authors
  1. Amy Lewin
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  2. Stacy Hodgkinson
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  3. Damian M. Waters
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  4. Henry A. Prempeh
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  5. Lee S. Beers
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  6. Mark E. Feinberg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy Lewin.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Overview of Strong Foundations Sessions

  1. 1.

    Prenatal sessions

    1. (a)

      Session 1: Building a family

      • Building an identity as a coparenting team

      • What does it mean to “be there” for your child?

      • Influences on child development

      • Shared goals/values for child

    2. (b)

      Session 2: Good sport teamwork

      • Being a coparenting team

      • Preparing for parenthood

      • Building new communication skills (speak out/listen up)

      • Respect and admiration

    3. (c)

      Session 3: Exploring feelings

      • How parental conflict affects children

      • Recognizing and managing negative emotions

      • Learning how to discuss difficult feelings (traffic light)

    4. (d)

      Session 4: It’s all about communication

      • Communication strategies

      • Managing conflict

      • Cooling down versus withdrawing

    5. (e)

      Session 5: Working it out

      • Starting difficult conversations respectfully

      • Negotiating parenting responsibilities

  2. 2.

    Postpartum sessions

    1. (a)

      Sleep

      • Sleep schedule and routine

      • How sleep deprivation affects parenting and relationships

    2. (b)

      Family planning

      • Personal goals

      • Contraception education and planning

    3. (c)

      Attachment

      • How to facilitate healthy attachment

    4. (d)

      Romantic relationships

      • Changes in relationship following childbirth

      • Being coparents versus being a couple

    5. (e)

      New relationships

      • Dating other people and re-navigating the coparenting relationship

    6. (f)

      Grandparents

      • Impact on coparenting relationship

      • Managing conflict with grandparents

    7. (g)

      Division of labor

      • Negotiating parenting responsibilities

      • Changes over time

Appendix 2: An Example From a Strong Foundations Group Session

Strong Foundations group sessions are skill-based and interactive. Role plays are used often as a teaching tool, as they allow facilitators to demonstrate skills and provide opportunities for participants to practice new techniques and strategies. The following is an example of a role play that addresses how to navigate difficult conversations.

Set Up

Participants are seated in a circle, along with the facilitators. This role play begins with the male and female facilitators engaging in a difficult discussion. It is followed by a debriefing where facilitators engage the participants in a discussion about the role play. The facilitators and participants engage in a second role play using the skills discussed in the session.

Scenario

A parent has decided that he/she will take care of the baby for the day. The other parent makes plans with friends. It has been quite some time since this parent has had an opportunity to spend the day with friends and engage in activities without his/her child. As the parent prepares for the day, he/she receives a phone call from the parent who has offered to take the baby for the day.

Role Play Prompts

Parent 1: Umm, I have bad news. I completely forgot that I had planned to go to the mall today because today is the last of this sale and I’ve been waiting to get this one shirt for a long time. Plus, I told my sister yesterday that I would meet up with her. It’s not like I can leave my sister waiting for me all day. I don’t know what you’ve got planned today, but you may have to cancel it because I don’t think I am going to have time to pick up the baby today.

Parent 2 (furiously): You know I had this whole day planned out so why didn’t you mention this earlier?! All you do is think about yourself. I always have the baby. The 1 day I get to myself, you now want to mess up! I don’t care what you have to do today. You better think of something to do with the baby by yourself. This is not my problem. I’m going out! The two role players then act out how they think this interaction proceeds.

Debriefing

Following this role play, facilitators engage participants in a discussion about this exchange. Participants are asked what was effective or ineffective about the interaction, what each party was trying to convey, and how the communication tools taught in the session could be used to improve the exchange. In addition to attending to the verbal content of the exchange, participants are also asked to pay attention to non-verbal information communicated in the role play.

A follow-up role play is conducted. Participants are invited to participate in an exchange with one of the facilitators using the communication techniques presented in the session. The follow-up role play also provides participants the opportunity to build problem-solving skills and consider alternatives to resolving disagreements and conflicts with their partner.

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Lewin, A., Hodgkinson, S., Waters, D.M. et al. Strengthening Positive Coparenting in Teen Parents: A Cultural Adaptation of an Evidence-Based Intervention. J Primary Prevent 36, 139–154 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-015-0388-1

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