Social workers' knowledge of the biopsychosocial and mental health issues of adolescent mothers

The study explored social workers' knowledge of the mental health and biopsychosocial issues of adolescent mothers. Adequate knowledge was reported regarding child abuse, sexual abuse, mental health, family structure, socioeconomic issues, impact of violence and academic and vocational issues.; Social workers reported higher levels of knowledge regarding developmental and family issues, management of suicide risk, and less but adequate knowledge regarding rates of depression, impact of loss, sibling dynamics and biological and hereditary factors associated with adolescent parenthood.; The least amount of knowledge was reported in regards to the ethnocultural issues related to early childbearing, and culturally competent service delivery.; Formal and informal educational variables predict social workers knowledge, with experience being named as the best preparation source. The study' indicated that theoretical orientation has positive and inverse relationships with knowledge, that personal experience may hamper knowledge acquisition, and that social work education may not positively influence personal attitudes.