Adolescent fathers: Predictors of level of involvement with their children

The purpose of this study was to examine variables that predict paternal involvement levels in adolescent fathers. Twenty-nine males ages 30 or younger who fathered a child age 5 or younger by an adolescent mother participated in a structured interview about their level of involvement with their child and responded to questionnaires regarding predictor variables hypothesized to influence paternal involvement. The predictor variables examined were based on the factors identified by Lamb, et al. (1985) to affect levels of paternal involvement including: motivation, skills and self-confidence, social supports, and institutional practices. Results from comparisons of means and hierarchical regression analyses indicate that paternal involvement is most strongly influenced by demographic characteristics (race, education, and employment factors), the distance a father lives from his child, relationship variables involving the child's mother, and less strongly, parenting sense of competence. This study demonstrated that adolescent fathers' levels of involvement are influenced by many of the same factors that influence adult fathers' involvement levels. It has implications for policies that affect adolescent parents and interventions with them and their children.