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Journal Article Why do men tend to underutilize mental health services? One reason may be that men are less frequently referred to seek such services. Indeed, male friends and family members may be particularly unlikely to refer men to seek mental health services, as it means going against the traditional male gender role proscription of talking to other men about emotional issues. This study is the first to explore how men’s experiences of gender role conflict may be associated with an increased endorsement of stigmatization around mental health concerns and, subsequently, a decreased willingness to…
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Journal Article Problem eating is common during childhood, though much of what is known is based on maternal reports. The current study aimed to compare mother and father reports of child mealtime difficulties and associated parenting, by surveying parents of normally developing 1.5–6-year olds. Two samples were procured: The first, 110 mothers and 109 fathers of children with or without problem eating; the second, 44 mother/father pairs that each reported on the same child. Mothers and fathers of problem eaters, and those of non-problem eaters, did not differ significantly on reports of child behavior,…
Across the political spectrum, unwed fatherhood is denounced as one of the leading social problems of today. Doing the Best I Can is a strikingly rich, paradigm-shifting look at fatherhood among inner-city men often dismissed as “deadbeat dads.” Kathryn Edin and Timothy J. Nelson examine how couples in challenging straits come together and get pregnant so quickly—without planning. The authors chronicle the high hopes for forging lasting family bonds that pregnancy inspires, and pinpoint the fatal flaws that often lead to the relationship’s demise. They offer keen insight into a radical…
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This guide from the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement is intended to help Head Start staff understand more about the role that positive goal-oriented relationships play in effective parent, family, and community engagement and school readiness. It includes definitions, tools, and guides for reflective practice and supervision. (Author abstract modified)
In the United States, more than 1.5 million children are born to unmarried parents each year. Many of these children will grow up in single-parent households, a backdrop that can adversely affect academic performance, emotional development, and long-term socioeconomic outcomes. Moreover, without specific legal action on the part of unmarried parents, these children will not share the same rights as children born to married parents. This list provides a primer on nonmarital births, highlighting some of the essential trends and legal considerations relevant to births that occur outside of…
Research suggests that early, more intense engagement in pareting for men has positive long-term effect for both father and child. While many other developed countries have paid leave for mothers and fathers, the United States is an outlier, offering no national policy on paid leave for mothers and fathers. The authors surveyed more than 1,000 fathers employed at 286 different organizations, as well as 30 companies for their benchmarking study. The report covers fathers’ attitudes about paternity and parental leave; benchmarking of company paternity leave policies; global approaches and…
This fact sheet explains South Dakota allows childhood immunization exemptions based on religious belief, but is only one of 31 that do not allow philosophical exemptions. Minimum immunization requirements for entering school or an early childhood program in South Dakota are then reviewed, and research on the effectiveness of vaccinations is shared. Charts are included that illustrate South Dakota and the nation had a 93% rate of polio immunization in 2012, South Dakota trails the surrounding States in any vaccination, and that South Dakota and Wyoming are tied for the lowest percentage of…
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Journal Article Contemporary norms of fatherhood emphasize the dual demands of breadwinning and daily involvement in child care. Recent qualitative research suggests that working-class fathers find it difficult to meet these demands due to job instability and workplace inflexibility. Yet little quantitative research has examined how employment characteristics are related to fathers’ parenting stress, in comparison with mothers’. Analyses using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,165) show that unemployment and workplace inflexibility, but not overwork, multiple jobs, odd jobs, and…
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Journal Article Mixed methods were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Fathers Offering Children Unfailing Support (FOCUS) program. FOCUS is a diversion program which is designed to offer an alternative to incarceration for fathers who are noncompliant with child support payments. Quantitative data were collected through a pretest/posttest design (n = 55) and qualitative data were collected through telephone interviews with FOCUS instructors (n = 2) and community key stakeholders (n = 5) and focus groups with FOCUS participants (n = 76). FOCUS appears to be benefiting children by increasing their…
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research that began in the 1990s has been replicated with different populations in a number of states including Minnesota with very similar results. ACEs assess patterns of behavior in family settings that are experienced by children that pose long-term risks for individual health, mental health and social problems. The search for effective prevention strategies has led to an array of programs that focus on different levels of influence. Fathers in specific roles serve as protective factors that have clear connections to risk factors identified in this…
