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An Ecological Approach to Understanding the Paternal Commitments of Young Fathers: From the Pregnancy Test to the Child’s First Birthday

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Abstract

Prior research on young adult fathers has included a limited number of ecological studies of this population. The purpose of the present study was to address this void in the literature by exploring the paternal commitments of adolescent and young adult fathers. We hypothesized that a qualitative study of young fathers would reveal a rich understanding of their perspectives and experiences during the prenatal period through the first year of the child’s life and the ecological issues that emerged during this period. We conducted initial interviews with 34 fathers ranging in age from 15 to 24 years old at the announcement of the pregnancy and again by the child’s first birthday. The results of a content analysis of the interviews are presented within an ecosystemic framework, which illustrates how numerous factors converge to influence a young father’s commitment to his child. Our findings indicate that, despite mixed reactions to the initial announcement of the pregnancy and numerous disadvantages in their lives, these young men generally showed a willingness to assume paternal responsibilities. The participants also revealed key issues associated with the mother of the child, living arrangements, the mother’s family, the labor market, and social and health services. Implications of these findings for effective outreach, services for young fathers, and future research are discussed.

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Data Availability

The qualitative datasets generated and analyzed for the current study were obtained via interviews of participants and not from a publicly available data set. Readers interested in learning more about the data should contact the senior author.

Code Availability

Not applicable.

Notes

  1. For more details, see Deslauriers, J.-M. (2011). Becoming a young father: A decision or an "accident?" International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 16(3), 289–308.

  2. For accounts of similar findings, see Alexander et al. (2010) for their report on fathers who are “positively ambivalent,” meaning that they do not actively plan the pregnancy but tend to be open to the idea of having a child after the pregnancy occurs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Ottawa, 120 University Street, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    Jean-Martin Deslauriers

  2. School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State Harrisburg, 777 West Harrisburg Pike, Suite W319, Middletown, PA, 17057, USA

    Mark S. Kiselica

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  1. Jean-Martin Deslauriers
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Contributions

J-MD, the senior author, was the primary investigator for this project. He initiated this study, conducted the interviews of participants, completed the data analysis, and wrote about 80% of the manuscript. MK wrote part of the literature review and discussion section, which amounted to approximately 20% of the manuscript. Both authors read and approved this draft of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jean-Martin Deslauriers.

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The authors have no known conflict of interest.

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The University ethics board from the institution of the senior author approved this study. The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards established by the 1984 Declaration of Helsinki.

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Informed consent was obtained from all participants of the study.

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Informed consent was obtained from all participants of the study.

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Public Significance Statement

Adolescent and young adult fathers have been the target of simplistic stereotypes depicting them as selfish, callous, and unresponsive to the needs of their children and partners. The findings from this study challenge this biased image and document how a sample of 34 young fathers attempted to overcome the shock of an unplanned pregnancy and other hardships to embrace their role as a caring parent.

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Deslauriers, JM., Kiselica, M.S. An Ecological Approach to Understanding the Paternal Commitments of Young Fathers: From the Pregnancy Test to the Child’s First Birthday. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 41, 249–268 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-022-00845-5

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