Introduction to the topic

ARTICLES and group's reaction.

ARTICLE 1: Prenatal involvement of adolescent unmarried fathers

This study investigated factors associated with adolescent unmarried, nonresident fathers' prenatal involvement with the teenaged mother. The sample consisted of 57 adolescent couples. Father characteristics and social-context factors were expected to predict fathers' prenatal involvement. Results of the multivariate analysis revealed a significant relationship between romantic involvement and fathers' prenatal involvement. Also, interparental conflict was negatively associated with father's prenatal involvement after controlling for romantic involvement. In addition, teenage fathers were less likely to he involved when the young mother had friends with children born outside of marriage, when the adolescent father was unemployed, and when the father scored lower on a measure of empathy.

Group’s Reaction:

It is important for adolescent fathers to be consistent all throughout. They would have to do their responsibilities as a father and be a good provider to his family, even at a young age. He should be able to do whatever he can in order to give his family a good life, where his children especially deserve.

ARTICLE 2: Managing Identity: Adolescent Fathers Talk About the Transition to Parenthood

Adolescent fatherhood is often associated with negative stereotyping and deficiencies in the adolescent's situation or characteristics, which effect his investment in child rearing. Developmentally, adolescence is a time when parenthood is not conventional practice nor a well-accepted norm. Understanding how adolescent fathers make sense of transitioning to parenthood allows us to re-think our public representations of young fatherhood. This article seeks to examine the ways that adolescent fathers reconstruct their identity in the midst of becoming a parent. Social constructionism offers a critical approach to the consideration of this transition process. A discursive analysis, based on interview transcripts, looks at the talk of adolescent fathers, and suggests they have a significant investment in their changing identity. Through their language, they actively engage in a process of change that illustrates management of new responsibilities, which arguably develops an attitude of mastery in their lives, instead of ineffectiveness as suggested by stereotyping.

Group’s Reaction:

Entering a new chapter in your life and actually getting into something you’re not so sure about can get really confusing and frustrating. Especially for young males out there who at a very young age, have to carry with them very heavy responsibilities and from that moment on, they’d have to carry this all throughout their lives. Adolescent fathers are having a hard time on managing their identity as to how will they be able to become good parents to their child. Because they are now fathers themselves, they’d have to quit the life they had before, and embrace what’s ahead for their own families now.

ARTICLE 3: Young Fathers Participating in a Fatherhood Program: Their Expectations and Perceived Benefits

By Ruth S. Buzi, Ph.D., Mahasin Saleh, M.S.W., Maxine L. Weinman, Dr.P.H., & Peggy B. Smith, Ph.D.

Adolescent fathers face multiple challenges that impede their ability to successfully function as fathers. They are more likely to have economic and employment challenges than adult fathers. Young African American fathers, in particular, face multiple barriers as they are "under siege" in various sectors of society. Young fathers also face premature role transition which can cause added stress in their lives. The transition to parenthood can be challenging even for many adult parents, young parents need to negotiate both adolescent development and parenthood. Recent attempts have been made to include young fathers in teen parent programs. In order for these programs to be successful they need to be attentive to the fathers' perspectives.

Group’s Reaction:

Our adolescent fathers getting themselves in mature roles can really get exhausting and stressful. Getting into fatherhood programs like this would really be a great help for them to minimize in a way their stress and have a time to relax and break from the hurdles of lie.

ARTICLE 4: Teenage Fatherhood and Involvement in Delinquent Behavior

By Terence P. Thornberry, Ph.D., Carolyn A. Smith, Ph.D., & Susan Ehrhard, M.A.

Becoming a teen father can lead to negative consequences for both the young father and his offspring. It is important to understand the process that leads some young men into fatherhood while others delay it until they are more developmentally ready. One possibility is that becoming a teen father is part of a more general deviant lifestyle. This paper explores the link between teen fatherhood and other problem behaviors -- delinquency and drug use.

Data from this longitudinal study comes from the Rochester Youth Development Study, which interviewed adolescents and their primary caretaker from seventh or eight grade until their early 20's. Over a quarter (28%) of the young males in this study reported fathering a child before the age of 20. Risk factors for becoming a teen father included high levels of violent delinquency and high levels of drug use. However, once they reached adulthood, the teen fathers were no more likely than the young men who delayed fatherhood to be involved in general delinquency or violent delinquency. A number of implications for this research are explored.

Group’s Reaction:

We are surprised to know that adolescent fathers are engaged in this kind of act. We can’t imagine ourselves actually getting in that kind of situation and relate ourselves that we’re having our own family at an age this young. But as this article provides and tells us, being a young father has many negative consequences attached to it, not only the extra responsibilities you have to be aware of. But we wouldn’t really think the solution to stress and all of this is the use of drugs. Drugs were never reliable, because they make people worse. Not only people, but it ruins lives.

ARTICLE 5: Involvement by Young, Unmarried Fathers Before and After Their Baby's Birth

By Marcia J. Carlson, Ph.D.

Little is known about the extent to which young fathers (age 22 and under) are involved with their children over time. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a national study on children born to unmarried parents, father's involvement with their child approximately one year after the birth is examined. This research examines three factors that are likely to affect father's involvement with their child: the father's personal characteristics, the child's personal characteristics, and social-contextual influences. Data is collected from both mother's and father's reports. The father's ability to fulfill the provider role and the quality of the parents' relationship were both important factors in father's involvement.

Group’s Reaction:

It is indeed important for fathers, especially those young ones, to be involved before and after the birth of their child. Either the two affects greatly on the baby’s characteristics that can be seen especially when they are already grown ups.