Experiences and needs of social support among Thai adolescent fathers: a qualitative study

Thailand's adolescent pregnancy rate is the second highest in Southeast Asia. Thai expectant fathers are faced with a concurrent dual developmental crisis: being a teenager and becoming a father. They have many problems and the need for social support. The purpose is to find out the problems and needs of social support. The researcher performed a qualitative study with 20 expectant adolescent fathers and analysed with content analysis. The results can be grouped into five themes: (1) do not have enough money; (2) unemployed and need a job; (3) had no parenting skills and need more information on how to take care of their child; (4) stressed during the transition period and need psychological support; and (5) shunned by society because people often look down on adolescent fathers. Adolescent fathers suffer from a lack of support in many areas of life. If adolescent fathers receive more support from their social networks, they will be more able to manage their transition into fatherhood, provide for their newborns and care for their domestic partners. Our data may guide policymakers in developing support networks, mentoring programs and basic caregiving training as standard services in hospitals’ care for first-time adolescent fathers in Thailand.