title: The nature of connections: young fathers and their children.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the involvement of young fathers with their children at entry to a fatherhood program and at subsequent follow-up. Thirty-eight young fathers participated in this analysis. Using open-ended questions at intake and subsequent follow-up, they were asked to describe in their own words their relationships with their children. A thematic analysis was used to explore their self-reported statements. Three themes emerged from the analysis: Positive Emotionality, Accessibility, and Engagement. A comparison between thematic categories at intake and follow-up revealed that the most dramatic shift occurred in regard to Engagement. A third of the young fathers shifted from describing Positive Emotionality at intake to the more active process of Engagement at follow-up. The area that showed little change between intake to follow-up was related to Accessibility. These findings may suggest that for young fathers, becoming more involved with their children is a process which can be facilitated by participating in a fatherhood program.
authors.affiliation: Teen Health Clinic, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Mahasin F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.forename: Ruth S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Buzi
authors.forename: Maxine L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Weinman
authors.forename: Peggy B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004644:Emotions; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013383:Suburban Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires