Adolescent mother's reported global happiness as it relates to adolescent father involvement

The purpose of this study was to examine adolescent father involvement as a source of support for teen mothers, and how father involvement varies based on mother groups and relationship status. Data was collected at the child's age of 4, 8, and 18 months. As a group, mothers reported higher levels of global happiness when fathers were identified as more involved. Amounts of father involvement varied by adolescent and adult mother groups, with adult mother's reporting greater father involvement. Results also indicate that fathers are more frequently identified as involved when in a relationship with the mother. These findings indicate that father involvement can be a source of social support, but that rates of involvement drop when the relationship ends.