Citation
Bamishigbin, Olajide Noah (2018). The antecedents of adolescent fatherhood in Black males.
2018 Add Health Users Conference. Bethesda, MD.
Abstract
Background: Research demonstrates that adolescent fathers in the United States are disproportionately likely to be Black, but contributors to adolescent fatherhood among Black adolescents are understudied. This study's purpose was to examine individual and familial influences as predictors of becoming an adolescent father in Black adolescents. Hypotheses were that adolescent males who engage in more risky sexual behaviors, more substance use, more delinquent behavior and have lower academic competence, and who have parents with lower socioeconomic status, lower educational expectations, and more permissive attitudes toward sex are more likely to become adolescent fathers compared to adult fathers and non-father peers. Methods: In data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health); adolescents completed surveys at four time points. Wave 1 and Wave 2 assessments were completed while the participants were adolescents (age 12-19). Wave 3 and Wave 4 data were collected during late adolescence to adulthood (age 18-33). In total, 537 Black adolescent males completed surveys. The sample consisted of 33 adolescent (age < 20 years) fathers, 241 men who had children as adults (> 19 years), and 263 non-father age peers who did not report having children by Wave 4. Results: Univariate analyses demonstrated that adolescent fathers were more likely to engage in sex prior to the age of 15 than adult fathers and non-father peers. Compared to non-father peers only, adolescent fathers had lower educational aspirations and engaged in more delinquent behavior. In multivariate analyses, engaging in early sexual intercourse was the only significant predictor of adolescent fatherhood. Among familial influences, lower perceived maternal disappointment if the adolescent did not complete college was the only significant predictor of adolescent fatherhood. Future Directions and Implications: Findings have implications for understanding why Black adolescents are more likely to become adolescent fathers and identifying adolescents at risk for becoming adolescent fathers, and the development of a school-based intervention to reduce the risk of adolescent fatherhood among at-risk adolescents.
Reference Type
Conference proceeding
Book Title
2018 Add Health Users Conference
Author(s)
Bamishigbin, Olajide Noah
Year Published
2018
City of Publication
Bethesda, MD
Reference ID
8268
