Young Fathers Participating in a Fatherhood Program: Their Expectations and Perceived Benefits

Adolescent fathers face multiple challenges that impede their ability to successfully function as fathers. They are more likely to have economic and employment challenges than adult fathers. Young African American fathers, in particular, face multiple barriers as they are "under siege" in various sectors of society. Young fathers also face premature role transition which can cause added stress in their lives. The transition to parenthood can be challenging even for many adult parents, young parents need to negotiate both adolescent development and parenthood. Recent attempts have been made to include young fathers in teen parent programs. In order for these programs to be successful they need to be attentive to the fathers' perspectives.

This research is based on open-ended questions as part of a needs assessment for participants in a young fathers program. The sample consisted of 54 African American fathers with an average age of 22. These young men first became fathers at about 19 years of age. While over half of the young men entered the program with goals related to the well-being and improvement of their families, at follow-up over half reported the program had assisted them in the area of self-improvement not family-improvement. This change of focus is examined in the context of adolescent developmental tasks.