This InfoSheet presents research findings from the 2006 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study, What About the Dads? Child Welfare Agencies' Efforts to Identify, Locate, and Involve Nonresident Fathers, which was conducted by the Urban Institute with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Based on this research, it offers ways in which caseworkers can locate and work with fathers to get them involved with their children.
Until recently, the situation and capabilities ofunmarried parents, and unmarried fathers inparticular, were not well known. This infosheet presents findings from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which helps to fill the gap in reliable data available to guide policies and practice relating to unmarried parents.
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Journal Article Using a sample of resident fathers in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study--Birth Cohort (9-month Father Study), this study examined how father involvement is associated with infant cognitive outcomes in two domains (babbling and exploring objects with a purpose). Results from a series of logistic regression models indicate that varied aspects of father involvement (cognitively stimulating activities, physical care, paternal warmth, and caregiving activities) are associated with a lower likelihood of infant cognitive delay. Two-way interaction models further indicate that father involvement…
Many fathers are not aware of it, but playing with kids is very important. It teaches kids many things and has a vital impact on their development. According to research, children who have healthy, fun play with their dads strengthen the following traits: independence, self-control and self-discipline, self-esteem and emotional well-beiing, educational outcomes, socialization, and following reasonable rules. (Author abstract modified)
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Journal Article Objective: This systematic review aims to describe longitudinal evidence on the effects of father involvement on children's developmental outcomes. Methods: Father involvement was conceptualized as accessibility (cohabitation), engagement, responsibility or other complex measures of involvement. Both biological fathers and father figures were included. We searched all major databases from the first dates. Data on father involvement had to be generated at least 1 year before measuring offspring outcomes. Results: N = 24 publications were included in the overview: 22 of these described…
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Journal Article In this article, the authors report the results of an evaluation study of a program for couples during the transition to parenthood on father involvement in child care. One-hundred-twenty couples were assigned to 1 of the 3 groups: a treatment group that received the Welcome Baby new-parent, home-visiting program focused on infant development and health, supplemented with the self-guided Marriage Moments program focused on strengthening couple relationships; a comparison group that received just the Welcome Baby program; or a control group. The study revealed that the treatment group fathers…
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Journal Article This randomized study tested the effects of 2 prebirth interventions, Minnesota Early Learning Design coparenting and childbirth curricula, on young African American and Hispanic fathers and their adolescent partners (N = 154). The coparenting intervention (n = 44) was associated with changing fathers' perceptions of their coparenting behavior rather than mothers' perceptions of the fathers' behavior compared with the childbirth program (n = 46). Fathers and mothers consistently reported fathers' improved coparenting behavior when the coparenting intervention was compared with a no-…
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Journal Article This article is a review of research on fathering and research on men employed in work with young children in centers and in elementary schools, which emphasizes the importance of positive male engagement with young children for their optimal development. Research also reveals the complexity of studying these relationships and the barriers in families and in society that impede the implementation of positive interactions. Suggestions are given for increasing positive male participation in the home and in educational settings. (Author abstract modified)
Note: This article is part of…
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Journal Article Associations between preschoolers' attachment security, fathers' involvement (i.e. parenting behaviors and consistency) and fathering context (i.e. fathers' internal working models (IWMs) and use of social support) were examined in a subsample of 102 fathers, taken from a larger sample of 235 culturally diverse US families. The authors' predicted that fathers' involvement would mediate associations between children's attachment security and less proximal fathering context. Fathers completed questionnaires regarding their parenting behaviors, IWMs of adult relationships, their use of social…
This information sheet provides advice on teaching children how to handle failures so they are not defeated by them but learn from them . It also contains a list of topics for further discussion as well as recommendations for books and movies.
