Reports on 2 studies investigating delinquency as a risk factor for teenage fatherhood. The Rochester Youth Development Study tracked 615 urban males from 1988 through 1996, and the Pittsburgh Youth Study followed 506 inner-city males from 1988 to 1993. Results from the former study revealed that early involvement in delinquency and drug use was highly correlated with becoming a teen father and that accumulated risk factors sharply increased a boy’s chance of fathering. Results from the latter study demonstrated a direct link between delinquency and teenage fatherhood and identified other risk factors as well, including cruelty to people, being raised in a family on welfare, and being exposed to drugs. Both studies identified early sexual activity, low level of mother’s education, and low school achievement as additional risk factors. The Pittsburgh researchers also found that the risk factors for teenage fatherhood constituted a subset of those for delinquency, and that young fathers tended to engage in acts of delinquency in the year of fatherhood and in the year after. Intervention programs should focus on improving basic skills and life options for urban youth, addressing negative peer environments and lack of school success, and demonstrating positive alternatives to early parenthood.
