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Journal Article Although the gender gap may be slowly closing across generations, men are generally much more likely than women to develop a substance use disorder as they move through adolescence into early to middle adulthood when most men first become a father. Research done from several different perspectives suggests that substance use by men affects family relations and family relations affect substance use by men, undoubtedly in a reciprocal manner as men move through the life cycle of the family. Moreover, substance use by men represents a substantial threat to the development of infants, toddlers…
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Journal Article Father involvement contributes uniquely to children’s developmental outcomes. The antecedents of father involvement among unmarried, African American fathers from rural areas, however, have been largely overlooked. The present study tested a conceptual model linking retrospective reports of childhood trauma and early adulthood social instability to father involvement among unmarried, African American men living in resource-poor, rural communities in the southeastern United States. Findings suggest that OXTR methylation might be a biological mechanism linking social instability to father…
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Journal Article The aim of this systematic review was to identify and synthesize the best available evidence on first time fathers’ experiences and needs in relation to their mental health and wellbeing during their transition to fatherhood. A three-step search strategy was used. The search strategy explored published and unpublished qualitative studies from 1960 to September 2017. All included studies were assessed by two independent reviewers and any disagreements were resolved by consensus or with a third reviewer. The recommended Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) approach to critical appraisal, study…
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Journal Article Panic attacks bring on intense fear or discomfort which can reach its peak within minutes. Specifically, symptoms of losing control, going crazy, or dying are very disconcerting and often cause people to seek help in the middle of the night. In Angelo’s case, the episodes of panic related to the arrival of the baby were completely unexpected. Also, having not been diagnosed with these episodes when he lived in Nicaragua, their appearance in his early 30s came as a complete shock. Another symptom that was unexplainable was feelings of dizziness and numbness and tingling. A few times, he…
Although a rapidly growing body of research has documented the impact of father involvement with typically developing children, little is known about how men approach parenting children with disabilities, and how their involvement impacts child, mother, and family well-being. The objective of this proposed project will be to take advantage of the data available in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) dataset in order to examine the roles fathers play in families of children with disabilities.
The interest in fathers as active parents has increased dramatically over the past 30 years among researchers and the popular press with considerable attention given to direct child-rearing activities; however, mothers continue to be the most likely participants in early intervention (EI) services. Using thematic analysis, we explored providers’ perceptions (n = 511) of father involvement in EI regarding (a) the impact of increased father involvement, (b) how father involvement could be increased, and (c) the role of culture in father involvement. Providers believed more involvement was…
Fatherhood Summit Session
Substance abuse has a devastating effect on families, and it is especially challenging for low-income and minority fathers. This session addressed how practitioners can help fathers and families affected by the crisis.
The panel provided a backdrop review of the ever-evolving substance abuse prevention and treatment policies and practices in the U.S., as well as current trends and tensions in… red dot icon
Journal Article Numerous studies have shown that children's temperamental characteristics impact the quality and quantity of parent–child interactions. However, these studies have largely focused on middle‐class samples, have not compared multiple domains of parenting across mothers and fathers, and have not considered the possibility of nonlinear associations between temperament and parenting. The present study addresses these gaps by examining the potentially nonlinear role of two temperamental characteristics—negative emotionality and sociability—in predicting the quality and quantity of low‐income…
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Journal Article Literature in developmental psychology suggests that mothers and fathers both play unique and important roles in their children’s development. However, research investigating the unique contributions and psychological functioning of fathers of youth with developmental disabilities, and the role that fathers play in effective intervention, remains limited. Whereas evidence suggests that parent-mediated interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can lead to increased engagement from parents, and reduced stress and psychopathology commonly experienced by parents of youth with…
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Journal Article Recent studies show that paternal depression negatively impacts children's behavioral and emotional development. This study determined the prevalence of depressed mood in first-time fathers at 2 and 6 months postpartum and identified associated risk factors. A prospective cohort study with 622 men who completed sociodemographic and psychosocial questionnaires during their partner's third trimester of pregnancy. Fathers completed measures again at 2 and 6 months postpartum and partners completed the depressed mood measure at all three timepoints. A cutoff of ≥10 for the Edinburgh Postnatal…
