Do Teen Fathers Differ from Other Young Men?
Many studies have looked at young women who become pregnant and how they differ from their peers, but the literature does not give as much information about the young men involved in early parenting. However, as several of the articles reviewed in this issue have pointed out, the teen father can play an important role. A 1995 article in Youth and Society details a study of teen fathers both before and after they become parents. To do this, the study used national labor market data to follow a large number of teenage boys over a ten-year period. During this time, 650 of these teens became fathers. These 650 fathers were then compared to nonfathers on dimensions of education, family background, self-esteem, and locus of control. (Locus of control refers to whether a person believes he or she can make changes in the world. If a person believes this is possible, they are said to have an internal locus of control. If they believe outside forces control his or her destiny, they are said to h
