Restricted accessOtherFirst published online 2010-07
“All the Men Here Have the Peter Pan Syndrome- They Don’t Want to Grow Up”: Navajo Adolescent Mothers’ Intimate Partner Relationships-A 15-Year Perspective
In 1992 and 1995, data were collected from 29 Navajo Native American adolescent mothers. In 2007 and 2008, data were collected from 21 of the original 29 (72%). Guided by feminist family theory, this investigation sought to (a) examine Navajo adolescent mothers’ intimate partner relationships during the transition to parenthood, (b) identify themes in the young mothers’ intimate partnerships across time, and (c) assess participants’ psychosocial well-being in adulthood. Four themes emerged in the women’s long-term intimate relationships: limited support, substance abuse, infidelity, and intimate partner violence. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Agurcia, C.A., Rickert, V.I., Berenson, A.B., Volk, R.J., & Wiemann, C.M. ( 2008). Risks and life circumstances of adolescent mothers. Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 155, 822-830.
2.
Amato, P.R. ( 2000). Consequences of divorce. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 1269-1287.
3.
Apfel, N., & Seitz, V. ( 1996). African American adolescent mothers. In B. J. Leadbeater & N. Way (Eds.), Urban girls (pp. 149-170). New York: New York University Press. Aronson , J. (1994). A pragmatic view of thematic analysis. Qualitative Report , 2, 1-3.
4.
Beck, A.T., Steer, R.A., & Garbin, M.G. ( 1988). Psychometric properties of the BDI: Twenty-five years of evaluation. Clinical Psychology Review, 8, 77-100.
5.
Bunting, L., & McAuley, C. ( 2004). Research review: Teenage pregnancy and motherhood: The contribution of support. Child and Family Social Work, 9, 207-215.
6.
Bureau of Indian Affairs. (2003). Facts about American Indians today. Retrieved September 28, 2007 from: http://www.doi.gov/bia/laborforce/2003LaborForceReportFinal
7.
Chase-Lansdale, P.L., Gordon, R.A., Coley, R.L., Wakschlag, L., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1999). African-American multigenerational families in poverty. In E. M. Hetherington (Ed.), Coping with divorce, single parenting, and remarriage: A risk and resiliency perspective (pp. 165-191). Mahwah, NJ : Erlbaum.
8.
Coley, R.L., & Chase-Lansdale, P.L. (1999). Stability and change in paternal involvement among urban AfricanAmerican fathers. Journal of Family Psychology, 13, 1-20.
9.
Cutrona, C.E., Hessling, R.M., Bacon, P.L., & Russell, D.W. ( 1998). Predictors and correlates of continuing father involvement . Journal of Family Psychology, 12, 369-387.
10.
Gee, C.G., & Rhodes, J.E., (2003). Adolescent mothers’ relationship with their children’s biological fathers. Journal of Family Psychology , 27, 370-383.
11.
Greene, A.D., & Moore, K.A. ( 2000). Nonresident father involvement and child well-being among young children in families on welfare. Marriage & Family Review, 29, 159-180.
12.
Harrykissoon, S.D., Vaughn, R.I., & Wiemann, C.M. ( 2002). Prevalence of IPV among adolescent mothers. Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 156, 325-330.
13.
Henderson, E. ( 1989). Navajo livestock wealth and the effects of the stock reduction program of the 1930s. Journal of Anthropological Research, 45, 379-403.
14.
Hoffman, S.D. ( 2006). By the numbers: The public cost of teen childbearing . Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
15.
Ingoldsby, B.B., Smith, S.R., & Miller, J.E. ( 2004). Feminist family theory. In B. B. Ingoldsby, S. R. Smith, & J. E. Miller (Eds.), Family theories (pp. 187-198). Los Angeles: Roxbury .
16.
Jenkins, J.M., Shapka, J.D., & Sorenson, A.M. (2006). Teenage mothers’ anger over twelve years. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , 47, 775-782.
17.
Kalil, A., Ziol-Guest, K.M., & Coley, R.L., (2005). Perceptions of father involvement patterns in teenage-mother families. Family Relations, 54, 197-211.
18.
Kennedy, A. ( 2005). Resilience among urban adolescent mothers living with violence. Violence Against Women, 11, 1490-1514.
19.
Kessler, R.C. & Essex, M. ( 1982). Marital status and depression: The importance of coping resources. Social Forces, 61, 484-507.
20.
Kulkarni, S. ( 2006). Interpersonal violence at the crossroads between adolescence and adulthood. Violence Against Women, 12, 187-207.
21.
Langer, G., Arnedt, C., & Sussman, D. ( 2004). American Sex Survey. Retrieved January 16, 2006 from: http://www.abcnews.go.com.
22.
Leaman, S.C., & Gee, C.B. ( 2008). Intimate partner violence among adolescent and young adult mothers. Journal of Family Violence, 23, 519-528.
23.
Leadbeater, B.J., Way, N., & Harmon, T. ( 2001). Relationships that hurt. In B. J. Leadbeater & N. Way (Eds.), Growing up fast (pp. 116-137). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
24.
Lerner, H. ( 1989). The dance of intimacy. New York: Harper & Row.
25.
Lindhorst, T., & Oxford, M. ( 2008). The long-term effects of intimate partner violence on adolescent mothers’ depressive symptoms. Social Science & Medicine, 66, 1322-1333.
26.
Lindig, W. ( 1993). Navajo. New York: Facts on File.
27.
Lupton, J. & Smith, J.P. ( 2002). Marriage, assets, and savings. In S. A. Grossbard-Schectman (Ed.), Marriage and the economy (pp. 129-152). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
28.
McEachern, D., Van Winkle, M., & Steiner, S. ( 1998). Domestic violence among the Navajo: A legacy of colonization . Journal of Poverty, 2, 31-46.
29.
McFarlane, J., Parker B., Soeken, K., Bullock, L. ( 1992). Assessing for abuse during pregnancy. Journal of the American Medical Association, 267, 3176-3178.
30.
Miranne, K.B., & Young, A.H. ( 2002). Teen mothers and welfare reform. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 23, 361-379.
31.
Navajo Division of Public Safety (2003). Retrieved July 2, 2008 from: http://www.navajoems.navajo.org/ .
32.
Norbeck, J.S., Lindsey, A.M., & Carrieri, V.L. (1982). Further development of the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire. Nursing Research , 32, 4-9.
33.
Olson, D.H., McCubbin, H.I., Barnes, H., Larsen, A., Muxen, M., & Wilson, L. ( 1982). Family inventories. Available: 290 McNeal Hall, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108).
34.
Rains, P., Davies, L., & McKinnon, M. ( 1998). Taking responsibility: An insider view of teen motherhood . Families in Society, 79, 308-319.
35.
Rosen, D. ( 2004). "I just let him have his way": Partner violence in the lives of low-income, teenage mothers. Violence Against Women , 10, 6-28.
36.
Royce, C.F., & Balk, S.J. ( 1996). The relationship of partner support to outcomes for teenage mothers and their children: A review. Journal of Adolescent Health, 19, 153-157.
37.
Shepardson, M. ( 1982). The status of Navajo women. American Indian Quarterly, 6, 131-149.
38.
SmithBattle, L. ( 2006). Family legacies in shaping teen mothers’ caregiving practices over 12 years. Qualitative Health Research, 16, 1129-1144.
39.
Sutherland, I., & Shepherd, J.P. (2001). Social dimensions of adolescent substance use. Addiction, 96, 445-458.
40.
Thomas, E.J., Yoshioka, M.R., & Ager, R.D. ( 1993). The Life Distress Inventory.
41.
Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. ( 2000). Extent, nature, and consequences of intimate partner violence. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
42.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ( 1991). Trends in Indian health. Washington, DC: Indian Health Service.
43.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ( 2002). Household survey on drug abuse: Vol 1. Washington, DC: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
44.
Wiemann, C.M., Agurcia, C.A., Berenson, A.B., Volk, R.J., & Rickert, V.I. ( 2000). Pregnant adolescents and partner violence. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 4, 93-101.
45.
Willeto, A.A. ( 1999). Navajo culture and family influences on academic success . Journal of American Indian Education, 38(2), 1-24.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
