THE CONSEQUENCES OF ADOLESCENT PARENTHOOD ON MENS DEPRESSION, PARENTAL SATISFACTION, AND FERTILITY IN ADULTHOOD

Adolescent fathers who drop out of school to enter the labor force jeo pardize their educations, subsequent occupations, and their Life-time earning potentials, as well as enter adult roles for which they may no t be emotionally prepared. This life event during their adolescence pu ts them at high risk for economic problems and stress related to accel erated role development. Using a sample from a national study, it was hypothesized that men who fathered during adolescence (n = 227) would report greater fertility, more depression, and lower levels of parenta l satisfaction than men who first fathered during their 20s (n = 1032) . Ordinary least squares regression was used to test the hypotheses. M en who fathered during adolescence were found to have significantly gr eater rates of fertility and depression, but higher levels of parental satisfaction, as compared to men who fathered as adults, when also co ntrolling for SES, race, fertility and age.