Handbook of Father Involvement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. 2nd Ed.

Researchers from demography, developmental psychology, sociology, evolutionary psychology, economics, and the public policy field have examined various aspects of the impact of father involvement on child development. This book summarizes the methodology and findings from research within each of these disciplines to provide a multidisciplinary perspective of the subject. Common themes across areas of interest include the definition of fatherhood and the dimensions of the construct; the individual and environmental variables that explain fathering; the impact of father involvement at each stage of child development; and cultural and ethnic differences in fathering. The contributors to the book explain that research about fathers includes social fathers, as well as biological fathers, to account for stepfathers, foster fathers, and other relatives who serve in the role of father to children. Researchers from all disciplines seek to identify factors that contribute to father involvement and explore the mechanisms by which the level of involvement affects child development. The book specifically addresses father involvement in African American men and African Caribbean families, Latino fathers, and Asian American fathers. Additional chapters explore father absence, the impact of welfare and child support, and social policy development. Numerous references, figures, and tables.