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The parenthood literature has, until recently, paid scant attention to adolescent fathers. Negative stereotypes portray these young men as delinquents, unwilling to participate in the lives of their children. Recent research has challenged negative views by examining the impact of fatherhood on these young men and concluding that they are far from uninvolved and disinterested in their children. The current study extends this line of research by charting the ways young fathers talk about their responsibilities and hopes for their children's futures. Young fathers were interviewed and the data analysed discursively in order to further explore the meaning of fatherhood. The analysis focuses on the ways paternal responsibilities were constructed and the notion of intergenerational repair is introduced as one of the features of this talk. The implications for practitioners are discussed in the context of a more critical approach whereby taken-for-granted assumptions are questioned in this highly politicised area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine ethnic and marital status differences in family structure, risk behaviors and service requests among African American and Hispanic adolescent fathers participating in a community-based fatherhood program. Demographic factors, risk behaviors, and service requests were gathered at program entry. The results indicated that each group demonstrated distinct patterns associated with family structure, sexual risk behaviors, substance use, and criminal behavior. In comparison to African American fathers, Hispanic fathers were younger and were more likely to be married and present at the delivery of their child. African American fathers reported having more children than Hispanic fathers. Disparities in school-related measures were also found, with African American fathers having higher high school graduation rates than Hispanic fathers. The impact of marriage on risk behaviors had mixed results. Services requests were similar for both groups. The finding that different ethnic groups have specific patterns of risk behaviors highlights the importance of considering the ethnic composition of a population when developing future research and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the improvement of child support enforcement and African American teenage fathers in the U.S. The child support policies of this nation apply to these young men--as they do to all parents. Paternity adjudication goes beyond the traditional child support payments. It allows a child the opportunity to be eligible for other benefits, such as social security survivors or disability benefits, veteran's benefits, private insurance, inheritance rights, and property divisions following the death of a parent. More importantly, if paternity is not established, a child will not be eligible for financial support through temporary assistance to needy families, food stamps, Medicaid, or other government benefits. The political environment in the country today, has swung toward less public assistance and more personal responsibility. This "mood" has allowed policy makers to introduce and implement legislation that increases efforts to collect child support payments from absent parents to support their children. Since fathers are overwhelmingly the absent parent, the psychological message sent to fathers is clear-pay or no contact. These subtle messages are often sent by child support enforcement officials, but more importantly, the mother of the children also relay these same messages.