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)
This clinical guidebook highlights the Young Parenthood Program (YPP), a brief research-based intervention designed to help young expectant couples learn to co-parent. The goal of the program is to support the development of interpersonal skills needed to maintain a constructive co-parenting relationships and diminish the risk of problems such as intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, or father disengagement. Following an explanation of the challenges faced by teenage parents, research findings on the effectiveness of YPP, and components and principles of the program, the role of the…
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.
After-school specials about teenage pregnancy abound. Whether in television or in society, the focus tends to towards young girls coping with all of the emotional and physical burdens of pregnancy. Rarely is the perspective of the teenage fathers portrayed.
In this informative book, Mark Kiselica draws on his many years of counseling teenage fathers to offer a compassionate look at the difficult life circumstances and the complicated hardships these young men experience. Through vignettes of real-life experiences, based on Kiselica's many years of counseling, readers are offiered a…
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.
Explores the practical and emotional challenges of parenthood. Reminds teen parents not to neglect their own needs as they take responsibility for their child's well-being, provides tips on ensuring that their child's needs are met, and lists special services available. (Author abstract)
Voices of African-American Teen Fathers is an insightful look at adolescent pregnancy and parenthood through the eyes of fathers aged 14 to 19. This unique book features candid interviews with thirty teens who talk about "doing what I got to do"-handling their responsibilities as best they can given their perceptions, limitations, and life experiences. Teens talk about how and why they became fathers, how they handle being a parent, their perceptions of fatherhood, the relationships they have with their parents and the mothers of their children, and how they deal with the everyday struggles,…
This chapter identifies developmental factors associated with positive fathering among 179 young, high-risk fathers who made a better than expected adjustment to parenthood. Results found that despite significant individual and social disadvantages, these fathers developed relational capacities associated with positive parenting. These capacities include a growth-oriented perspective on the co-parenting relationship, a commitment to shared responsibility for taking care of the co-parenting relationship, and a willingness to empathize with their co-parenting partners. Case studies illustrate…
