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Journal Article Objective. Although studies have begun to explore the impact of the current wars on child well-being, none have examined how children are doing across social, emotional, and academic domains. In this study, we describe the health and well-being of children from military families from the perspectives of the child and nondeployed parent. We also assessed the experience of deployment for children and how it varies according to deployment length and military service component.Participants and Methods. Data from a computer-assisted telephone interview with military children, aged 11 to 17 years,…
Fact Sheet, Brief
This fact sheet summarizes research showing that children from military families experience above-average levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties and that longer parental deployments are associated with greater difficulties. (Author abstract) Superceded: See http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9568.html It is exciting to get married. Marriage offers the opportunity to create a new family and new traditions. However, getting married when there are children involved can bring with it a new set of challenges and anxieties about making your relationship work successfully for a lifetime. Stepfamilies are very common, but creating one can be challenging. In the United States, more than 1,300 stepfamilies are formed every day. It is a great responsibility to model healthy relationships for your children, and now is the perfect time to show them your best stuff! This tip sheet is designed to help…
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Journal Article This longitudinal study focused on fathers' involvement from the prenatal period through infants' first year in Dominican immigrants (n = 73), Mexican immigrants (n = 65) and African Americans (n = 66) residing in New York City. Fathers' prenatal involvement, the quality of the mother-father relationship, fathers' postnatal involvement with their 1- and 6 month olds and fathers' involvement with their 14 month-olds (i.e., time spent with infant; eating meals with infant; activities with infant) were examined. Father involvement was uniformly high and stable. Fathers' prenatal involvement…
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Journal Article This article emphasizes the need to provide therapeutic eservices to fathers of substance-exposed infants. It discusses expanding roles, expectations, and opportunities for fathers, and the influence of fathers on their children. The fatherhood experiences of substance-using men are shared and vignettes offer two examples of partners of perinatal substance users who were actively involved in parenting their children. 29 references.
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Journal Article A study was conducted of 51 Georgia offenders who were substance abusers and fathers to 130 children. Findings indicate that despite their lack of participation in hands-on fathering, offenders cited children as one of their biggest motivators for success upon release. The majority wanted to re-connect with their children and to become both a good role model and a meaningful part of their children's lives. 4 references.
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Journal Article This article discusses the parenting challenges faced by chemically dependent men in establishing and repairing relationships with their children. The challenges include coping with father hunger from their own abandonment, father wounds from prior child abuse, limited role models, and male depression. Suggestions that mental health professionals can use to help men in recovery build and repair relationships with their children are provided. 20 references.
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Journal Article This article discusses what is known about the psychological experiences of fathers caring for an HIV-infected child and the strengths and limitations of telephone support groups in providing assistance for such fathers. Findings from a telephone support group conducted in 1996 for non-HIV-infected fathers of HIV-infected children are shared and indicate participants felt the group increased not only their feeling of social support, but their knowledge of sources of concrete support. Fathers reported that the most positive aspects of the group were the common bond they all shared and the…
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Journal Article Objective. The objectives of this study were to identify associations and pathways through which first-time resident fathers' pregnancy intentions (reported retrospectively) influence their later coparenting and to examine whether these associations varied based on the child's gender. Design. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study--Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) 9- and 24-month surveys, we examined a sample of first-time resident biological fathers (N = 1,278). Results. Having a mistimed or unwanted pregnancy is associated with higher levels of paternal depression and with lower mother…
Brief
Intended for parents, this brief emphasizes the importance of fathers in the development of children. The benefits of active fathering are considered and barriers to active fathering are explained, including: men often have less experience with children than women, men tend not to feel the same social pressure as women to learn how to care for their own, mothers can view fathers as less competent, and family arrangements and socioeconomic realities can make fathering challenge. Strategies for keeping fathers involved in parenting are discussed. 5 references.
