Unwed teenage fathers: emotional and health educational needs

Sixteen unwed teenage prospective fathers (mean age, 17.4 years) were studied to evaluate their emotional and health education needs. All were partners of girls enrolled in an adolescent maternity project. Nine teenagers were clinically assessed to be coping well with the pregnancy; 4, to be coping moderately well; and 3, to be coping poorly. Six teenagers were referred for counseling because of clinical evidence of significant depression. In response to a series of 4 questions testing their knowledge of reproductive physiology, 5 subjects answered 3--4 questions correctly; 10, 1--2 correctly; and 1, none. All expressed great interest in learning more about childbirth and childcare. In this select group of teenagers, there was a need for supportive counseling services and teaching in health education. Further research is needed to determine the scope of the problems encountered by unwed teenage fathers in other clinical settings.