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Journal Article The present study examined the relationship between concurrent measures of adolescent fathers' parenting stress, social support, and fathers' care-giving involvement with the 3-month-old infant, controlling for fathers' prenatal involvement. The study sample consisted of 50 teenage father-mother dyads. Findings from multivariate regression revealed that fathers' parenting stress was significantly and negatively related to fathers' care giving as perceived by both fathers and mothers. The relationship between support for father involvement provided by the young man's parents and father…
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Journal Article The confluence of high teen parenthood and incarceration rates for ethnic minority youth warrant investigations into the relationship between parental bonds and desistence from crime. Empirical studies present conflicting findings regarding how, or if, fatherhood correlates with youth offenders' decreased criminal activity. Through in-depth interviews with seven incarcerated teen fathers, this study provides insight into their views of their responsibilities toward their children, relationships with their children's mothers, and prospects for future criminal activity. Results show that…
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Journal Article We examined the relationship between fathers' human, social, and financial capital and future marital plans among 176 pregnant adolescent mothers and the fathers of their babies. Fathers' social capital proved to be the most significant resource in relation to marital plans. Mothers and fathers were significantly more likely to plan to marry when the father was involved in the pregnancy and when there was less couple conflict. Couples were more likely to agree about marriage when the mother and father agree that the father was involved in these aspects of parenting and when the couple agrees…
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Journal Article Grounded in family systems and ecological theories, this study examined teenage mothers' perceptions of fathers' parental involvement and the role of teenage mothers' gatekeeping beliefs. Fathers' involvement was perceived to be greater when teenage parents were romantically involved (n = 55). When they no longer shared a romantic relationship (n = 59), mothers' satisfaction with and desire for fathers' involvement (i.e., gatekeeping beliefs) mediated the association between mothers' perceptions of developmental and contextual factors and their perceptions of fathers' involvement. Overall…
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Journal Article This paper explores the effectiveness of delivering an intensive parenting class to groups of young fathers in prison. Evaluation was based on course feedback from a total of 75 participants. Results demonstrate that even within a group of young prisoners of similar ages there were diverse parenting educational requirements, indicating a need for courses to remain flexible and participant-led. In considering parenting support needs, three-quarters of all course participants highlighted the importance of better visiting procedures to allow them to keep in contact with their children whilst in…
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Journal Article Past research has largely ignored the influence of material resources on teenage parents' life outcomes. A lack of resources such as housing, child care, and financial support is hypothesized to explain the negative effect of teenage parenthood on educational attainment. Regression analyses use nationally representative data from the 1988 - 2000 National Education Longitudinal Study (N = 8,432, n = 356 teenage parents). Results support the hypothesis completely for the teenage fathers in the sample and partially for mothers: Resources substantially diminish the educational penalty teenage…
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Journal Article Data from the Fragile Families and Child-Well-being Study were used to examine predictors of involvement among fathers of young children ( N=2,215) born to adolescent and young adult mothers (ages 14-25; N=2,850). Participants were interviewed immediately following their baby's birth and at 3-years postpartum regarding co-parental relationship quality, fathers' caretaking behavior ("father involvement"), and fathers' provision of material support for the child ("in-kind" support). Early postnatal and 3-year postpartum parental relationship quality and father-child cohabitation predicted 3-…
