American Indian Culture and Research Journal

Teenage parenting, characterized as a “crisis”by some,’ and an “alternative life course strategy” by others, comprises an issue of debate and concern among policy makers, academicians, educators, and social-service providers alike. Not surprisingly, teenage parenting has received considerable attention from behavioral scientists over the past three decades. Still, significant gaps exist in the current literature. The majority of investigations have included Euro-American populations as the reference group, with secondary attention focused on Blacks and non-White Hispanics. Little attention has been afforded Navajo (and other Native American) teenage mothers. The individuals participating in the present study reside on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. The Navajo Nation is the largest tribe in North America, occupies the most expansive reservation, and experiences higher rates of teenage childbirth among youth aged fifteen to nineteen than among similarly aged women across the United States as a whole (15.8 percent versus 12 percent). Beyond the public health data, little information exists regarding Navajo perceptions or attitudes toward parenting in general, or teenage parenting specifically. By focusing attention on majority groups and generalizing findings to non-majority populations, unique cultural and contextual influences are overlooked. Teenage parents, in general, do not comprise a homogenous group. Knowledge of unique influences that shape attitudes and behaviors is paramount for successfully assisting youthful adaptation to the parenting role.