Preliminary data from the Fragile Families survey were analyzed to examine the impact of incarceration on marriage and family structure. The study specifically considered the characteristics of married and unmarried fathers at risk of imprisonment. Men who have been incarcerated are less likely to be married than men who have never been in prison. Former inmates were also less likely to have a relationship with the mother of their child at the child's first birthday. Regression analysis with incarceration as a dummy variable supported the finding that a history of incarceration negatively…
Soul searching can provide an in-depth understanding of the father's changing role in the family, the language of fatherhood, paternal contributions to child security, and the need to nurture androgyny. This chapter highlights the mythic and spiritual perspectives of these issues that should be integrated with social science and human studies in fatherhood research and policy. It explains that fatherhood is an act of faith in the acceptance of paternity and the social expectations of its meaning. The social expectations are derived from Biblical myths and common views about the callings of…
This chapter assumes a developmental focus to provide a psychological perspective of father involvement. A key element of this objective is to recognize how difficult it is to define the complexities of father involvement. Father involvement includes such relationship components as direct interaction, availability, and the managerial function, all of which are conceptually distinct. Other issues worthy of careful consideration are the context of father involvement, processes used to index involvement, and dimensions of involvement. In addition to examining father involvement from a…
This booklet helps men fulfill their responsibilities as parents with insight into fair discipline, children's physical and emotional needs, maintaining good relations when they live apart from their children, and more. (Author abstract)
This monograph describes Creating Lasting Family Connections (CLFC), a multifaceted youth substance abuse prevention program designed to promote the healthy development of youth at risk for alcohol and other drug abuse. Chapter 1 discusses the need for alcohol and other drug prevention initiatives, reviews historical trends in substance abuse treatment and prevention, and examines the impact of motivations on prevention practices. Chapter 2 reviews resiliency theory, the theoretical basis for the development of the CLFC program, and Chapter 3 describes the components of the CLFC program. Main…
In contemporary society, father-child relationships are less valued than mother-child relationships. Fathers participate less than mothers in the lives of their children, and are not as likely as women to rearrange their work schedules around the birth or care of children. Policies support this paradigm, as laws continue to focus on the role of the father as economic provider and the mother as caregiver. This book proposes that fatherhood be redefined to emphasize the nurturing role of men. It reviews societal attitudes about male gender roles and discusses the dangers of accepting certain…
