Using the Thoughts on Teen Parenting Survey to determine the impact of Wise Guys

Abstract Purpose. The purpose of this project was to determine if the Wise Guysprogram influences young men’s perceptions of the impact a teen birthwould have on their lives in the areas of relationships, vocation, and per-sonal life. DesignandMethods. TheWiseGuysprogramwasimplementedwith70adolescent males. The Thoughts on Teen Parenting Survey was used todetermineparticipants’perceptionsofthecostsandrewardsassociatedwithteen parenting. Results. Data, analyzed using paired t -tests, demonstrated that Wise Guyswas effective in reinforcing less positive perceptions of teen parenting. Practice Implications. Wise Guys offers an important strategy to impactyoungmen’sperceptionsabouttheteenparentingexperienceandprovidesone means to promote responsible sexual behavior in teen men. Reductions in teen pregnancy rates in the past threedecades have largely been attributed to more teenschoosingnottoengageinsexualactivityandtheuseof birth control and protection by those who do par-ticipate in sexual intercourse (Martinez, Copen, A Martinez et al., 2011).Recent federal funding initiatives emphasizingevidence-based curricula and programming, publicpolicies related to adolescent sexual health, andmediadepictions of the realities of teen childbearinghave reinforced initiatives designed to continue toreduce teen pregnancy and birth rates.Educational efforts to prevent teen pregnancystrive to enhance sexual decision making, contra-ceptive self-efficacy, abilities to negotiate, relation-ship skills, concepts of personal responsibility, andknowledgeofconsequences.Additionaleffortsfocuson youth development strategies, fostering futuregoal setting for educational and career trajectories,or on healthcare interventions that increase accessto reproductive health services and affordable birthcontrol. Although all of these interventions may becredited with contributing to the reduction in teenpregnancy rates, most efforts focus on youngwomen, young mothers, and the female role in safesexual behavior. Despite evidence that 42% of ado-lescent males are sexually active and account for alarge percentage of those with sexually transmittedinfections (Martinez et al., 2011), and the fact thatmales are obviously involved with teen pregnancy,preventionstrategiesfocusedonmenarelesspromi-nent in the literature, and comprehensive programsfocusing on the role of young men in responsiblesexualbehaviorarelimited.Sonenstein(2001)rein-forced that young men who are most vulnerable,including those of color, living in poverty, out ofschool, involved in the juvenile justice system, infostercare,whoaregayorbisexual,andmenintheirearly 20s, require the most intense efforts to con-tinue to make positive strides in teen pregnancyprevention.The lack of educational and healthcare resourcesfocused on the reproductive health of young men