Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Andrew Carpenter

Abstract

Recent studies have concluded that adolescent pregnancy and subsequent motherhood can contribute to mental health stressors, acting as potential barriers to ambition and motivation. Researchers have explored motivation and ambition; however, there is little or no research comparing motivation and ambition between adolescent mothers and child-free women. The purpose of this casual-comparative study was to compare motivation levels and ambition values between adolescent mothers, age 18-24, and women of the same age range who are child-free. Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory as the theoretical lens, and the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory and Aspirations Index, were used as data collection instruments. Recruitment strategies included posting on social media platforms, holding informational sessions, using Survey Monkey’s Participant Pool and Walden’s Participant Pool. While 250 responses were initially targeted, data collection was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and only 58 participants responded, resulting in 17 usable responses after data cleaning. Nonparametric statistical tests, including the Kruskal-Wallis H test and the Mann-Whitney U test, were used to analyze the data. While the final sample was too small to produce generalizable results, the study’s findings suggest that further research should be conducted into whether child-free women have higher motivation than mothering women in several domains, and whether child-free women have higher ambition than mothering women. Mothering and child-free women, aged 18 to 24, may benefit from the results of this study in that understanding differences in motivation and ambition among different groups of women can be used in the development of women's educational programs, advocacy efforts, and legislative policies.

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