ADOLESCENT FATHERS: EXPLORING THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR ROLE AS PARENT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15270/49-2-65Abstract
Teenage pregnancy is one of the socio-economic challenges which South Africa faces, with 35% of young women under the age of 20 falling pregnant or having had at least one child (Jewkes, Vundule, Maforah & Jordaan, 2001:733). Research has also highlighted that African youths lack access to sexual health information and services, and this makes them more vulnerable to engaging in risky sexual activity (Ashford, 2000; Bezuidenhout, 2004; Osei-Hwedi & Namutosi, 2004). In trying to address this challenge most of the focus has been on adolescent mothers, while the needs and experiences of adolescent fathers have been neglected. Adolescent fathers, like their female counterparts, also have to work through their developmental tasks while at the same time trying to adjust to their role of being a father. It is essential that the experiences and perceptions of adolescent fathers be understood as this knowledge can be utilised in the design of appropriate support programmes or measures for these fathersDownloads
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