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Journal Article Developmental research has highlighted the importance of fathers for children’s early academic success, and growing evidence suggests that children living in poverty may benefit the most from positive father involvement. Using a subsample of children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), this study examined direct and mediated pathways from family poverty to children’s preschool achievement. Analyses revealed that poverty had a more consistent negative association with fathers’ parenting than mothers’ parenting and fathers’ parenting was a more consistent…
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Journal Article Positive father involvement is critical to the healthy social, emotional, and academic outcomes of children at all stages of development. The purpose of this integrative review was to identify, categorize, and evaluate the potential impact of fatherhood interventions on father and child outcomes. A systematic search of four major research databases yielded 44 studies published between 1988 and 2018 that met study inclusion criteria. The most effective interventions were delivered in the community, with fathers convened in groups. Content focused on promoting positive parenting, co-…
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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 Despite high heritability, no research has followed children with ADHD to parenthood to study their offspring and parenting behaviors. Given greater prevalence of ADHD in males and lack of research involving fathers, this study evaluated offspring of fathers with and without ADHD histories for ADHD and disruptive behavior and compared fathers’ parenting behaviors. Male fathers (N = 29) from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS) participated with their preschool-aged offspring. Fathers completed self-reported measures, and father-child dyads completed an interaction task. ADHD…
Fatherhood Summit Session
Head Start Programs have supported and strengthened parent-child relationships for more than50 years, including a specific focus on father involvement. Whether parents are cohabiting or living separately, custodial or noncustodial, Head Start appreciates the essential role that positively-engaged fathers can play in support of children, families, and their communities. Head Start grantees and practitioners are encouraged to recognize how engaged fathers contribute to children’s behavior, and to think strategically about how to solicit fathers’ input and address barriers impeding active …
Fatherhood Summit Session
Outreach to fathers is critical to improve outcomes for children. One of the most effective ways to reach fathers is through local schools and Head Start programs. This session drew upon the experience of Strong Fathers-Strong Families, LLC, which has worked with more than 220,000 fathers of children under the age of 18 in rural, suburban, and urban locations around the nation.
The presenter explored the important role fathers play in the development and education of children, and the barriers many fathers face when attempting to be involved in their children’s education. The presentation…
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Journal Article In the present article, we describe the translational process undergirding a particular aspect of family science: families working in partnership with schools to achieve mutual goals for children's optimal functioning. In doing so, we illustrate a translational cycle that began with identifying problems of practice and led to the development of a family–school intervention (i.e., conjoint behavioral consultation) in a way that embraced families as partners in goal-setting and problem-solving. We discuss the evolution of the intervention from development to efficacy trials and practice…
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Journal Article We identify multiple predictors of five types of father involvement in 167 low- to moderate-income two-parent Mexican American families with fifth-grade children. Analyses show that fathers' egalitarian gender attitudes and mothers' education are associated with higher levels of father involvement. Fathers are more involved in monitoring and interacting with children when families place more emphasis on family rituals, they are more involved in supervising children when mothers are employed more hours, and they perform more housework when mothers earn more and the family is under economic…
Other, Fact Sheet
Designed for judges, this bench card contains ways in which judicial officers can help better engage fathers by understanding how men seek help and learn differently from women. They can also encourage the child welfare agency to work with fathers as often as mothers, offer services geared toward men's learning styles, and work as hard to find and engage fathers as mothers. (Author abstract modified)
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Journal Article A study involving 116 American Indian fathers found income was not a significant predictor of father involvement among American Indian fathers and fathers of other races/ethnicities with the exception of White fathers. Relationship status was the strongest predictor of father involvement for all fathers, and higher education was found to be a significant positive predictor for American Indian father involvement. 4 tables and 48 references.
