ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the couples in the New York study who maintained involvement with each other. Using data from the 1986 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), reported that only 15" of African-American fathers of children born to adolescent mothers lived with their first child shortly after birth, compared with 48" of Hispanic and 58" of White fathers. Data from the New York study yield reasons for instability as well as stability in relationships between adolescent mothers and their children's fathers. Resiliency researchers have consistently identified individual intelligence, religious affiliation, and a positive relationship with an adult mentor as protective factors for children growing up in high-risk environments. However, the protective factors for these resilient relationships were not merely the sum of these individual assets. Although positive relationships with extended family members often aided young families, they also frequently presented competing demands for the couple's attention.
