In the United States, nearly a quarter million adolescents give birth each year (Martin, Hamilton, Osterman, Curtin, & Mathews, 2015). Although 88.7% of these births are to unmarried teenagers, it has been estimated that more than half of adolescent mothers are in a romantic relationship with the father of their child at the time of birth (Beers & Hollo, 2009). Even though research suggests that many teenaged parents aren’t able to continue their romantic relationship over time, they often maintain a connection through their shared parenting relationship. (Author Abstract)
Unpublished Paper
Drawing on an extended longitudinal study of the lived experiences and support needs of young fathers, this working paper follows the fortunes of 31 young men through the process of becoming a parent. The paper begins with some reflections on the nature of existing evidence on young fathers. In 2010, at the outset of our study, we discovered a paradox in researching this topic. On the one hand, young fathers had been neglected in social scientific research and marginalized in policy discourses and in professional practice (see Neale 2016, Neale and Davies 2015 and for parallel developments in…
Intended for adolescent fathers in foster care in Washington State, this tip sheet provides information on placement in foster care, father involvement, father rights, and responsibilities that a father has. A list of strategies teen fathers can use to take care of themselves and support the child and the mother of their child is provided.
This fact sheet provides parents with helpful tips on how to discuss and prevent teen pregnancy with their adolescent children. Tips include communication strategies, making expectations clear, and setting limits.
Children who grow up in single-parent families are more likely to be poor, have trouble in school, and become teen parents themselves. Additionally, children who are born to a mother who is a teenager, who hasn't finished high school, and who isn't married are nine times more likely to be poor than a child whose mother is even a few years older, is married and has at least finished high school. Thus, strengthening families through both teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) and marriage and relationship education (MRE) programs is an effort to decrease out-of-wedlock childbearing and increase the…
The latest in Healthy Teen Network's series of Fast Facts, this fact sheet explores the benefits of targeting boys and young men specifically in order to reduce teen pregnancy and early, unintended fatherhood and to promote the development of positive relationships between young fathers and their children. (Author abstract)
This fact sheet shares statistics on the negative outcomes of children and adolescents with absent fathers, and positive trends indicating sexual activity among teen boys is declining, more condom use, and a decreasing teen birth rate. The need for the teen pregnancy prevention field to reach out to boys and young men is emphasized. 13 references.
Adolescent fathers have remained an understudied and underserved population. While teen fatherhood appears to be associated with similar consequences to those observed for teen mothers, most national programs serving low-income families focus on mothers rather than fathers. Recently, attempts to include young fathers in services have increased,but relatively few programs for young fathers exist. This fact sheet presents fast facts about teenage males. (Author abstract, modified)
The teen birth rate has continued to decline after peaking in 1991. Yet some teens are still becoming fathers at a young age. Research indicates that this early fatherhood typically is unintended, regularly occurs outside of marriage, and has implications for teen fathers, their children, and their families. Some key demographic differences shape who becomes a teenage father, as well as the consequences of being a teen father. This fact sheet discusses the importance and implications of teen fatherhood
This InfoSheet will help staff members understand the difference between the perceptions versus the reality of young fathers before beginning any program intended for them.(Author abstract modified)
