Mentor relationships and the career development of pregnant and parenting African-American teenagers

The influence of natural mentor relationships on the career outlook of African-American pregnant and parenting teenagers was examined. More than half of the participants nominated adults they considered to be mentors. A path model indicated that mentor support was associated with increased life optimism, beyond its indirect effects on career activities and beliefs about the opportunity structure. These findings suggest that natural mentors are an important resource in the career developmnent of pregnant and parenting African-American adolescents.