Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Garth den Heyer

Abstract

U.S. African American teenage parents are at a disproportionately high risk of experiencing stressors associated with the financial demands of parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the socioeconomic challenges that African American teenage parents living in U.S. northeastern state face during events such the COVID-19 pandemic that limit the provision of human services, which the research question was designed to answer. The framework used in this study was social learning theory. A sample of 10 Black teenage parents residing in the northeastern United States were recruited. Data were collected through interviews and analyzed through a thematic procedure. Participants indicated that they needed social services due to job loss or loss of hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis also indicated that the application process could be improved by making it increasingly user-friendly to improve their ability to access human services. The findings revealed that referrals from friends and family were a primary pathway for accessing services. This study adds to the current literature establishing that the COVID-19 pandemic brought numerous challenges and difficulties to most Black teenage parents. Given the findings, it is recommended that future studies should be conducted to understand various strategies to protect the vulnerable and minority races against such challenges when facing any pandemic.

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