Although Belsky's (1984) model of parenting captures much of the variabilit
y in adult parenting, it is likely incomplete as an adequate account of ado
lescent parenting. To test an expanded model of adolescent parenting, we ga
thered multiple measures of four prenatal maternal variables (cognitive rea
diness, personal adjustment, intelligence, and social supports) during the
last trimester of pregnancy, and two variables when infants were 6 months o
f age (perceived child characteristics and parenting). Structural modeling
procedures then were used to identify the direct and indirect paths that le
d to parenting skill and style in a sample of 135 adolescent mothers and th
eir infants. Only 9.6% of the sample was married, and few held stable, mean
ingful employment. These variables, as well as the quality of emotional and
instrumental support, did not enter into causal networks related to parent
ing practices. in contrast, maternal intelligence and personal adjustment i
nfluenced cognitive readiness to parent that, in turn, was directly related
to parenting as well as to child characteristics at 6 months of age.