Quality of Interactions Between Adolescent Fathers/Young Fathers and Their Babies at 3 Months: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Background: The literature on adolescent fathers and young fathers is scarce. The few studies have outlined that young fathers are characterized by numerous risk factors that can have a negative effect on the relationship with the child, the father's well-being, and the child's social-emotional and cognitive development.

Method: The objective of this exploratory study is to evaluate and outline in a sample of 48 father-adolescent and young father-child dyads the profile of the child's interaction styles at 3 months of life. Father-child interactions were videotaped and encoded using the Neuropsychomotor Video Analysis of Adult and Child Interaction-NVA® to assess father and child interaction styles.

Results: The results showed that young fathers scored high in intrusive and aggressive style and low score in sensitivity, placing them in a high-risk range. Children have high scores in the exclusion-avoidant, passive, and controlling style and low scores in the participatory style, placing them in the moderate and high-risk range.

Conclusions: The results indicate that the quality of adolescent father and young father-child interactions is characterized by negative behaviors and low responsiveness. These data may be useful at a clinical level to implement early interventions to support the father-child relationship.