A limited population of unmarried adolescent fathers: a preliminary report of their views on fatherhood and the relationship with the mothers of their children.

Although much has been documented regarding adolescent childbearing (Juhasz, 1974; Furstenburg, 1976; Card & Wise, 1978; Russ-eft, 1979; Chilman, 1980; Earl & Siegel, 1980), little is known about the attitudes of unmarried adolescent fathers toward fatherhood and their relationship with the mothers of their children. Most of what is known about this relationship has been learned from the young mothers (Sauber, 1966; Bernstein, 1971; Pope, 1971; bemis, 1976; Lorenzi, 1977; Clapp & Raab, 1978). With the exception of a few investigators (Pannor et al., 1968; Pannor, 1971, Hendricks, 1981), virtually no accounts can be found in the literature documenting unmarried adolescent fathers' perceptions of fatherhood and their relationship with the mothers of their children. This paper attempts to bridge this gap in the literature by reporting on how two select populations of black unmarried adolescent fathers view fatherhood and their relationship with the mothers of their children.