TY - JOUR
T1 - Early fatherhood and socioeconomic outcomes among young men transitioning from foster care in the United States
AU - Shpiegel, Svetlana
AU - Aparicio, Elizabeth M.
AU - Smith, Rhoda
AU - Grinnell-Davis, Claudette
AU - King, Bryn
N1 - Funding Information:
The data used in this publication were made available by the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and have been used with permission. Data from the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) were originally collected by the states and provided to the Children's Bureau. Funding for the project was provided by the Children's Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The collector of the original data, the funder, the Archive, Cornell University and their agents or employees bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2022/2
Y1 - 2022/2
N2 - Purpose: Early fatherhood among young men transitioning from foster care has received scant research attention. The purpose of the present study was to: (a) examine the rates of fatherhood by age 21 in two distinct samples of youth transitioning from foster care in the United States; and (b) evaluate the impact of fatherhood on youths‘ educational and vocational attainment, and experiences of homelessness and incarceration, at age 21. Methods: We used data from two cohorts of the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), initiated in years 2011 and 2014. The final sample for each cohort consisted of young men who completed a baseline survey at age 17, and two follow up surveys at ages 19 and 21 (N = 2488 and N = 2793, respectively). Data from each NYTD cohort was merged with data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) for years 2011 and 2014. Results: The cumulative rate of fatherhood by age 21 was 19.3% in the 2011 sample, and 16.5% in the 2014 sample. The rates of fatherhood were higher between ages 19–21, as compared to earlier ages. In multivariate analyses, fatherhood was linked to lower educational attainment and higher risk of homelessness and incarceration, but not to employment status. These findings were consistent across both NYTD samples. Conclusions: Fathers represent a sizable group of transitioning foster youth, who may exhibit detrimental outcomes in young adulthood. Appropriate services and supports are necessary to assist these vulnerable young men.
AB - Purpose: Early fatherhood among young men transitioning from foster care has received scant research attention. The purpose of the present study was to: (a) examine the rates of fatherhood by age 21 in two distinct samples of youth transitioning from foster care in the United States; and (b) evaluate the impact of fatherhood on youths‘ educational and vocational attainment, and experiences of homelessness and incarceration, at age 21. Methods: We used data from two cohorts of the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), initiated in years 2011 and 2014. The final sample for each cohort consisted of young men who completed a baseline survey at age 17, and two follow up surveys at ages 19 and 21 (N = 2488 and N = 2793, respectively). Data from each NYTD cohort was merged with data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) for years 2011 and 2014. Results: The cumulative rate of fatherhood by age 21 was 19.3% in the 2011 sample, and 16.5% in the 2014 sample. The rates of fatherhood were higher between ages 19–21, as compared to earlier ages. In multivariate analyses, fatherhood was linked to lower educational attainment and higher risk of homelessness and incarceration, but not to employment status. These findings were consistent across both NYTD samples. Conclusions: Fathers represent a sizable group of transitioning foster youth, who may exhibit detrimental outcomes in young adulthood. Appropriate services and supports are necessary to assist these vulnerable young men.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121925301&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106346
DO - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106346
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85121925301
SN - 0190-7409
VL - 133
JO - Children and Youth Services Review
JF - Children and Youth Services Review
M1 - 106346
ER -