Toward an Integrative Model of Adolescent Parenting

Although considerable research has focused on the personal and social characteristics of adolescent mothers, the literature in this area lacks theoretical integration. To organize existing research and to direct future work, a model outlining the correlates and consequences of adolescent parenting is presented. It offers a specification of Belsky’s [1984] model of parenting, adapting it to the unique circumstances of the adolescent social environment. The model includes four personal characteristics of the adolescent mother – learning ability, cognitive readiness for parenting, psychosocial adjustment, and maternal health. These are proposed to interact with the characteristics of the infant and the social context in which the mother-child relationship is embedded to influence parenting and subsequent child development. Research bearing on this model of adolescent parenting is critically reviewed.