Written for the October 1996 Conference on Father Involvement, the papers in this volume examine the effect of father involvement on child development and the patterns and determinants of father involvement in intact and separated families. The papers represent the diverse perspectives of anthropology, demography, economics, family science, psychology, and sociology. Specific topics include: the history of research about father involvement, cultural factors, the impact of parental activities on child outcomes, child well-being in families receiving welfare, and the effect of marital quality…
Using the analogy of baseball, this book focuses on fundamental aspects of good fathering and provides strategies for raising children. Chapters are divided into nine lessons that address: preparing for fatherhood, deciding to be actively and emotionally involved, and being thoughtfully aware; different types of child temperaments and parenting techniques; building family traditions and making memories; preventing and predicting disciplinary situations; working with your spouse; parenting alone and raising children in a calm environment; the developmental needs of children at different ages…
Drawing on more than a quarter of a century of Panel Study of Income Dynamics data, this paper examines links between childhood home environment (as reported by fathers during those childhood years) and children's outcomes in early adulthood. The emphasis is on the role of fathers and the unique contribution of their activities and characteristics to children's development, measured in terms of the children's completed schooling, wage rates, and nonmarital childbearing in early adulthood. Results indicate that fathers' abilities add substantial predictive power to models based on maternal…
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…
This paper uses retrospective child care data from the NLSY79 to examine the patterns and determinants of paternal child care during a child's first three years of life. We focus on two-parent families with children whose mothers worked sometime between the child's birth date and the child's third birthday. We find that father care is a fairly stable form of care; the average number of months that father care is used during a year is similar to the duration of other forms of child care. In addition, we find that paternal care is often used in conjunction with other types of child care. We…
Fathers who are active in their child's life will have a tremendous effect on their child's development- both cognitively and socially. Having the experience of two involved parents adds variety and dimension to the child's experience of the world. Researchers stress that parents must be actively and positively involved in their child's life to contribute to the healthy development of their child. This brief takes a look at what scientists believe fathers add to their child's development in a unique and important way. (Author abstract, modified).
Brief
With advice to fathers ranging from how to speak to toddlers so that they listen, to how to avoid gender stereotyping in young children, to how to maintain a connection with teenagers, FatherNeed is a resource for all dads -- including divorced fathers, fathers of adopted children, stepfathers, and fathers of special-needs children -- as well as moms who want kids who are meaningfully connected to their fathers. (Author abstract, modified)
This report synthesizes research conducted in Great Britain about the effect of paternal involvement on child development and effective interventions for families in the child welfare system. Recent studies have found that 75 percent of British children are living in two-parent families. Despite a trend in single and step-parenthood, about half of non-resident fathers report that they have regular, monthly contact with their child(ren). Fathers still earn the majority of the family income, but about half of British men disagree with the traditional view of men as the primary breadwinner.…
