Racial and Ethnic Differences in Teenage Fathers’ Early Risk Factors and Socioeconomic Outcomes Later in Life

Abstract

Background Understanding racial differences in teenage fathers’ early risk factors and later outcomes is critical to inform programs for teenage fathers as our knowledge base on this population remains limited. Objective The goal of this study was to assess how teen fathers’ characteristics, including family background, delinquency, living arrangements, socioeconomic resources, and arrests, vary over time by race and ethnicity. Method We analyzed National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health data. The analytic sample consisted of self-identified African American, Latino, and White males who fathered a child before the age of 20 (n = 313). Data come from three time points: adolescence, transition to adulthood, and young adulthood. Results Latino teen fathers came from families with lower educational attainment and greater reliance on public assistance. No statistically significant differences by race and ethnicity were found in parental involvement, school connectedness, marijuana use, and delinquency during adolescence. By their early 20s, a lower proportion of African American teen fathers were married compared to White and Latino teen fathers. By young adulthood, adjusted regression analyses showed that African American teen fathers were more likely to be arrested and earned a lower mean income than White teen fathers. Conclusions Findings suggest that African American teen fathers, while no more disadvantaged or delinquent than the other two groups in their adolescence, experience greater accumulation of disadvantages over the life course. Intervention programs must consider the broader social and institutional context that may contribute to the disproportionate disadvantage among African American teen fathers in their young adulthood.

Racial/ethnic differences in social determinants of health and health outcomes among adolescents and youth ages 10–24 years old: a scoping review

“…Table 3 summarizes results by study design and outcome. Across the 29 studies, 11 were cross-sectional [ 30 , 31 , 35 , 40 , 42 , 46 , 49 , 52 – 55 ], 16 were cohort [ 22 , 28 , 29 , 32 , 33 , 36 – 38 , 41 , 43 – 45 , 47 , 48 , 50 , 51 ], and 2 were experimental [ 34 , 39 ]. There were no quasi-experimental study designs that met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in this review.…”

“…Table 4 summarizes results by the five SDOH categories and outcomes. Across the 29 studies, 1 study examined self-efficacy [ 40 ], 6 educational attainment [ 28 , 29 , 32 , 36 , 42 , 50 ], 10 health risk behavior [ 30 , 34 , 38 , 39 , 43 , 44 , 47 , 48 , 52 , 53 ], 5 smoking [ 35 , 37 , 39 , 47 , 51 ] 12 alcohol use [ 29 , 30 , 33 , 35 , 39 , 41 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 51 , 54 , 55 ], 10 substance use [ 28 , 29 , 31 , 33 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 46 , 51 , 54 ], and 1 quality of life [ 22 ]. There were no studies that included psychological resilience as an outcome.…”

“…Out of the 29 articles included for final synthesis, a total of 18 articles were categorized within the social and community context [ 28 , 30 , 32 , 33 , 36 , 38 – 41 , 44 – 49 , 51 , 53 , 55 ]. Four out the 29 articles were categorized as neighborhood and built environment [ 31 , 35 , 37 , 50 ], and 7 as economic stability [ 22 , 29 , 34 , 42 , 43 , 52 , 54 ]. No articles included for final synthesis included health and health care and education categories of SDOH.…”

“…Economic stability refers to employment, food insecurity, housing instability, and poverty [ 56 ]. Of the 29 total studies, 7 studies examined the role of economic stability [ 22 , 29 , 34 , 42 , 43 , 52 , 54 ]. Outcomes examined across all studies included educational attainment, health risk behavior, alcohol and substance use, education, and quality of life.…”

“…Similarly, Hispanic women had significantly higher rates of early pregnancy compared to non-Hispanic women, though Hispanic men demonstrated no significant differences [ 42 ]. When considering economically disadvantaged teen fathers, Assini-Meytin et al [ 29 ] found that African American teen fathers had lower rates of substance and alcohol use in adolescence and youth compared to non-Hispanic white and Hispanic teen fathers. By young adulthood, a greater proportion of African American and Hispanic teen fathers had not completed high school compared to non-Hispanic white teen fathers, though the difference was not significant [ 29 ].…”