ABSTRACT
The interest in father–child relationships probably resulted from a renewed concern for the welfare of children and from a reassessment of traditional sex-role expectations brought about by the Women’s Movement. Parenthood and marriage are considered normal developmental “crises”. One reason for concern about adolescent fathers is that these crises coincide with the “crisis” of normal adolescent development. When teenage fathers remain with their partners and children, some of the stresses experienced by young mothers are alleviated, particularly if the fathers have stable employment. Thus, under favorable circumstances, the fathers’ presence may indirectly improve the quality of their children’s lives by facilitating better maternal care. The medical and psychosocial problems associated with teenage pregnancy started receiving attention during the 1960’s and over the next 20 years many special programs were developed to provide care for this group of high-risk mothers.
