FATHERHOOD IN ADOLESCENCE: THE FAMILY AS A SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORK

This study is an excerpt of the multicenter study "Redes sociais de apoio a paternidade na adolescencia" (Social support networks for fatherhood in adolescence), which aimed at learning about the social support networks available to young fathers. A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach is used. The participants were fourteen adolescent fathers whose children were born in a teaching hospital of a public university in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were pre-scheduled and took place at the subjects' homes six months after their children were born, between June 2009 and June 2010. The data demonstrate that the support network for fathers in adolescence was comprised mainly of parents, mothers-in-law, stepparents and siblings. The identified supportive actions were financial and psychological in nature, provided mainly by mothers or mothers-in-law. The family was considered the main support network for adolescents experiencing fatherhood.