ABSTRACT
Objectives
To understand the meaning of childcare for the underage adolescent mother, to reveal the demands of care and to build a theoretical model based on this experience.
Method
Qualitative research with symbolic interactionism as the theoretical framework and the grounded theory as the methodological framework; nine adolescents participated in the study. The semi-structured interview was used to collect data from September 2008 to September 2011, during paediatric nursing consultation at the Centro Assistencial Cruz de Malta, a philanthropic institution in the city of São Paulo/Brazil.
Results
Data analysis led to the construction of the theoretical model, Facing a difficult experience even with support.
Conclusion
The experience shows that the difficulties to care for a child, even with help, are not met, only mitigated, and that underage adolescents do not have the maturity to cope with this experience.
Pregnancy in adolescence; Mother-child relations; Child care; Millennium Development Goals
