ECPN poster contestant: Racial Differences in Teenage Fathers’ Characteristics over the Life Course

Introduction: Every year a significant number of males become a father before the age of 20 in the US. While few studies have provided a characterization of teen fathers’ life circumstances, to date, no studies have provided a comprehensive investigation of differences in Black and White teen fathers characteristics and subsequent life changes. The well-documented literature in racial discrimination and social exclusion gives evidence that the circumstances and outcomes of Black and White teen fathers likely differ. The purpose of this study is to investigate teen fathers’ characteristics over time, with particular attention to Black/White differences.

Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Our sample consisted of self-identified Black and White males who fathered a child before age of 20 (N=278, 32.7% Blacks). Analyses are based on data from participants’ adolescence (1994-1995), transition to adulthood (2002-2003), and young adulthood (2008-2009). Measures included family characteristics, schooling, crime/delinquency, substance use, living arrangements, and socioeconomic attainment. Descriptive statistics were conducted in STATA 14.0 and accounted for survey sampling weights.

Results: In this analytical sample, 74.7% of teen fathers were between the ages of 18-19 at the birth of the index child. In their adolescence, Black teen fathers were from families with lower income than Whites ($22,824 vs. $31,828, p=.020). No statistically significantly differences between Black and White teen fathers were found in parental involvement, ever repeating a grade, school connectedness, and delinquency. In their early 20s, a greater proportion of Black teen fathers than White fathers were cohabitating with their partner; Black fathers also perceived greater emotional and financial support from their parents; White teen fathers reported greater proportion of substance use than Black teen fathers. By young adulthood (mean age 28.6 years), Black teen fathers were more likely to be arrested (77.8% vs. 55.5%, p=.010), had less work participation (73.1% vs. 87.3%, p=.057), and a mean income 2.6 times lower than Whites ($15,613 vs. $40,224, p<.001).

Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that Black teen fathers, while similar to Whites in adolescence, experience greater accumulation of disadvantages over the life course. The gap in socioeconomic outcomes in young adulthood might be accentuated by the social context that shapes the experiences of Black and White teen fathers substantially differently. Future research should consider the specific factors, including social context, that contribute to the disproportionate disadvantage among Black teen fathers in their young adulthood.