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Satisfaction with Parenting: A Comparison Between Adolescent Mothers and Fathers

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Abstract

In this study we compared adolescent mothers and the fathers of their infants to examine levels of and predictors of parenting satisfaction. Participants were 41 adolescent mothers who were contacted through alternative school programs and the fathers of their infants. Not all of the fathers were adolescents. The sample was racially diverse (White, Black, Native American, and Hispanic). Correlation and t test analyses were conducted and those variables that were significantly correlated with parenting satisfaction were used in regression analyses. Mothers' parenting satisfaction and paternal control scores were higher than fathers' scores. Self-esteem, age at the baby's birth, and social support satisfaction significantly predicted parenting satisfaction for fathers, whereas only self-esteem and social support satisfaction did so for mothers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Environmental Sciences, Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma

    Stacy D. Thompson & Andrea C. Walker

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  1. Stacy D. Thompson
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  2. Andrea C. Walker
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Correspondence to Stacy D. Thompson.

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Thompson, S.D., Walker, A.C. Satisfaction with Parenting: A Comparison Between Adolescent Mothers and Fathers. Sex Roles 50, 677–687 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000027569.27653.8e

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000027569.27653.8e

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