The Forgotten Family Member-Grounded Theory Study of Fathers of the Babies of Adolescent Mothers

• In Event: 054 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 05. Emerging Forms of Fatherhood

Abstract

Fathers of the babies of adolescent mothers are an under-studied, yet sociologically significant entity in maternal and child health. This paper examines fathers’ involvement in adolescent mothers’ pregnancy, birthing, and early parenting processes and serves as the third study in a five-part series to learn more about, and ultimately contribute to a sociological theoretical framework depicting the everyday lives of pregnant and parenting adolescent mothers. The authors were evaluators for a community-based doula program that served 485 pregnant and parenting adolescent mothers from 2002 to 2012. The grounded theory inquiry centered on asking; “What are fathers doing (interactions) and under what (socio-economic) conditions?” Data analysis of father involvement included direct observations of case notes from doulas of their own interactions with fathers, as well as mothers’ accounts of fathers’ socio-economic conditions and support. Additionally, narratives were examined from an ethnographic study of 30 young mothers who had previously completed the doula program. A comprehensive review of the qualitative and quantitative data on fathers of teen mothers’ babies resulted in an application of C. Wright Mills’ work on the “sociological imagination” where adolescent pregnancy must be addressed within the context of “personal troubles of milieu” and as a “public issue of social structure”. The grounded theory findings from this study and further interpretation of Mills’ framework of the sociological imagination have implications for programs and policies addressing maternal and child health, “rapid repeat” adolescent pregnancy, high school drop-out rates, teen dating violence, and long-term social welfare dependency.

Authors

• Quinn M. Gentry, Messages of Empowerment Productions

• Tekla Evans, Messages of Empowerment Productions