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 be 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.