Contribution of infants' sleep and crying to marital relationship of first-time parent couples in the 1st year after childbirth.

This study investigated the influence of infants' sleep and crying on marital relationship in first-time parent couples (N = 107) during the 1st year after birth. Control variables are parents' insomnia and parental self-efficacy in handling the baby. Questionnaires were administered to both parents before birth, at 2 and 7 weeks after birth, and at 1 year after birth. Results show that marital problem-solving ability did not change but that marital satisfaction diminished significantly over time. Crying was the main child variable that affected marital satisfaction. Fathers' self-efficacy contributed positively to marital problem solving and negatively to paternal insomnia. Both maternal and paternal insomnia affected spouses' insomnia. As infant sleep problems may worsen preexisting parental insomnia, it is recommended that first-time parents be informed about treatments of insomnia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

(In)visible men: Emerging research on low-income, unmarried, and minority fathers.

The author aims to help make low-income, unmarried, and minority fathers more visible by reviewing the emerging literature base on this population and addressing important conceptual, methodological, and policy issues. Recent evidence is reviewed concerning patterns of fatherhood, factors that support or prohibit fathers' active involvement with their children, and the impact of paternal involvement on children's development. To move the field forward, advances are needed in methodology (increased use of father reports, multiple methods, and longitudinal studies), measurement (greater diversity and depth, multiple reporters), and theoretical and conceptual definitions (family systems perspectives, new and inclusive definitions of fatherhood). In particular, a multidisciplinary and contextualized perspective is an imperative aid to significantly increase understanding of the lives and impact of low-income, unmarried, and minority fathers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What Gets Dad Involved? A Longitudinal Study of Change in Parental Child Caregiving Involvement.

Predictors of change in fathers' and mothers' perceptions of child caregiving involvement were examined. Middle-class 2-parent families (131 mothers and 98 fathers) with a target school-age child participated. Fathers and mothers completed annual questionnaires for 3 consecutive years. Latent growth curve modeling suggested that fathers were likely to increase their relative contribution to child caregiving over the course of 3 years when they had a greater proportion of male children in the family and when life events-particularly changes in employment and financial status-were experienced by the family. Although mothers were responsible for more of the caregiving, their relative level of involvement tended to decrease when there were no young children in the family. Two-parent families may adapt to varying family contexts and life circumstances by shifting caregiving roles and responsibilities over the course of years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The differential impact of early father and mother involvement on later student achievement.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the direct and indirect effects of early parenting on later parental school involvement and student achievement. The sample, pulled from the 1st and 2nd waves of the Child Development Supplement data set of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, consisted of 390 children age 2–5 at Time 1 and their families. Fathers' and mothers' participation in 5 dimensions of early parenting behaviors was assessed at Time 1, and later parental school involvement and student achievement were assessed at Time 2. Although early paternal and maternal parenting behaviors were not directly related to later student achievement, differences were revealed in the pattern of relationships between early parenting and later parental school involvement for fathers and mothers. In addition, fathers' later school involvement was found to be negatively related to student achievement, whereas maternal school involvement was found to be positively related to student achievement. These findings provide partial support for the hypothesized differential relationship between fathers' and mothers' early parenting and later student achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability and change in paternal involvement among urban African American fathers.

Urban African American fathers' involvement with their children born outside of marriage is assessed through maternal reports. Multivariable composites of paternal involvement indicate that about half of unmarried fathers are highly involved at the time of birth and when children are preschool age, and half are uninvolved. However, nearly 40% of fathers move into or out of active parenting during this time. Multinomial logit analyses indicate that paternal education and employment increase the likelihood that fathers will be highly involved as children age and decrease the odds of a loss of paternal involvement. Strong or harmonious mother–father relations (romantic or not) increase the odds of fathers' being highly involved and mediate the impact of fathers' residential and marital status. Finally, neither new maternal partners nor highly involved grandmothers deter paternal involvement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fathers' ratings in the assessment of their child's anxiety symptoms: A comparison to mothers' ratings and their associations with paternal symptomatology.

We examined the comparability between mothers' and fathers' ratings in the assessment of their child's anxiety symptoms. The sample consisted of 78 youth (6 to 17 years) and their mothers and fathers who presented to a childhood anxiety disorders specialty research clinic. Using intraclass correlation coefficients, mother?father agreement of their child's anxiety symptoms was found to be moderate. Mean differences between mothers' and fathers' ratings of their child's anxiety were not significantly different. Both maternal and paternal self-ratings of psychopathology predicted respective ratings of their child's anxiety. Although either mothers or fathers can provide useful information, use of multiple informants is encouraged, especially when parental psychopathology is present. Additional implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Husbands at home: Predictors of paternal participation in childcare and housework.

Predictors of paternal participation in child care and housework are examined. A longitudinal sample of 66 couples expecting their 1st child completed extensive questionnaires during the wives' last trimester of pregnancy and 3–8 mo after birth. Regressions were conducted in which paternal participation in child care and housework was regressed on variables pertaining to each of 4 models of paternal participation: relative economic resource, structural, family systems, and sex-role attitude. Composite models of paternal participation in housework and child care were then developed. Fathers' involvement in child care is best explained by mothers' work hours and fathers' feminism. Fathers' contribution to housework seems best explained by discrepancies in income between spouses, wives' occupational prestige, and dynamics in the marriage. Differences in the determinants of fathers' contributions to child care and housework are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unmarried, nonresident fathers' involvement with their infants: A risk and resilience perspective.

The authors used a subsample of fathers (n = 652) who participated during the 1-year follow-up of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study to assess the influence of risk and resilience factors on unmarried, nonresident fathers' involvement with their infants. They examined the additive, multiplicative, and moderating models of risk and resilience in relation to paternal involvement. Fathers' relationship to the child's mother was conceptualized as a risk or resilience factor. Fathers in acquaintance relationships with the mother and fathers who scored higher on the additive risk index were less involved in child care. Fathers who scored higher on the additive resilience index were more involved in child care. There was a multiplicative effect of relationship status and the risk index on fathers' involvement. The findings point to the importance of programs that address risk and resilience conditions affecting nonresident fathers in interaction with the quality of relationships they have with their children's birth mother. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does individual treatment for alcoholic fathers benefit their children? A longitudinal assessment.

Psychosocial adjustment in children of alcoholics (COAs; N = 125) was examined before and at 3 follow-ups in the 15 months after their fathers entered alcoholism treatment. Before their fathers' treatment, COAs exhibited greater overall and clinical-level symptomatology than children from the demographically matched comparison sample, but they improved significantly following their fathers' treatment. Children of stably remitted fathers were similar to their demographic counterparts from the comparison sample and had fewer adjustment problems than children of relapsed fathers, even after accounting for children's baseline adjustment. Thus, COAs' adjustment improved when their fathers received treatment for alcoholism, and fathers' recovery from alcoholism was associated with clinically significant reductions in child problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental attitudes and fathers' interactions with their 5-month-old infants.

Forty couples and their 5-month-old infants participated in a study investigating the relationships between parental attitudes and fathers' behavioral and affective involvement with their children during a brief home-based observation. Attitudinal measures included fathers' and mothers' views on the role of the father, fathers' sex role orientation, empathic tendencies, and social desirability scores. The fathers' sex role orientation and both parents' views concerning the role of the father were found to be significantly correlated with observed levels of paternal activity. Implications for paternal support programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Description et analyse des attitudes et attributions paternelles favorables á la punition corporelle.

To date, few studies have shown a specific interest in parental discipline from the fathers' point of view. The goal of this study is to fill this gap by documenting the factors that are likely to predict attitudes favoring corporal punishment in a representative sampling of Quebec fathers. In total, 953 fathers participated in a telephone survey. Noted among the variables in the analysis model were: father's sensitivity to the consequences of violence for the child, prevalence of physical punishment toward the child, perception of the level of poverty, reports of violent discipline of a physical or psychological nature experienced during the fathers' childhood, number of people in the household and father's stress associated with the child's temperament. However, an apparent contradiction in paternal attitudes was seen: the majority of fathers were opposed to resorting to corporal punishment while remaining tolerant with respect to its use. The discussion paves the way for a more in-depth analysis and for understanding the potential role played by personal and contextual variables in the explanation of attitudes favoring corporal punishment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A model of fathers' behavioral involvement in child care in dual-earner families.

Fathers and mothers (n?=?120) of preschool-aged children completed 2 measures assessing fathers' behavioral involvement in child care (i.e., the amount of time that the father was the child's primary caregiver and the number of child-care tasks performed). The results reaffirm the findings from previous studies that father's long work hours can be a barrier to greater participation in child care but that mothers' extended work hours serve to increase father participation in child care. Women's perception of their husbands' competence as parents and marital satisfaction also explain fathers' involvement. Fathers' gender role ideology and attitudes about the fathers' role appear important for fathers' involvement in child care, and findings indicate that men's involvement may be more self-determined than previously believed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Transactional Model of Parent-Infant Interactions in Alcoholic Families.

This study examined the transactional nature of parent-infant interactions over time among alcoholic and nonalcoholic families. The sample consisted of 222 families assessed at 12, 18, and 24 months of child age. Results indicated that infant behavior did not influence parental behavior across time, but parental behavior was longitudinally predictive of infant behavior during play interactions. Higher paternal alcohol consumption at 12 months was longitudinally predictive of negative parental behavior at 24 months. Other significant risk factors included marital conflict, fathers' depression, and fathers' education. Results highlight the nested nature of risk in alcoholic families and the direction of influence from parent to child during interactions and suggest that 1 pathway to risk among these children is through negative parent-infant interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Antecedents of fathering: Some further exploration.

Antecedents of caregiving and affiliative behaviors were examined in 68 Israeli 1st-time fathers. Data were collected from parents during pregnancy and while the infants were 9 mo old, using questionnaires and nonstructured observations. Personal and contextual sources were almost equally influential in determining aspects of fathering. Personality dimensions of autonomy as well as sensitivity, perception, and openness to experience predicted caregiving, whereas affiliation predicted playful behaviors. Viewing fatherhood as a self-enriching experience was predictive of caregiving and play. Marital satisfaction was more infuential in determining both aspects of fathering than was marital consensus. Fathers' occupational prestige was important in determining the extent of paternal involvement in other modes of interaction. Non-Western ethnic origin negatively predicted caregiving but positively predicted affiliative behaviors. Marriage was associated with fathers' personality, suggesting that transfer from the quality of the couple's relationships to the parent–child relationships may be a function of personal variables, because men with certain personalities tend to participate both as caring husbands and fathers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal gatekeeping, coparenting quality, and fathering behavior in families with infants.

The present study examined the role of maternal gatekeeping behavior in relation to fathers' relative involvement and competence in child care in 97 families with infant children. Parents' beliefs about fathers' roles were assessed prior to their infant's birth. Parents' perceptions of maternal gatekeeping behavior (encouragement and criticism) and coparenting relationship quality were assessed at 3.5 months postpartum. The authors assessed fathers' relative involvement and competence in child care using a combination of parent report and observational measures. Results suggest that even after accounting for parents' beliefs about the paternal role and the overall quality of the coparenting relationship, greater maternal encouragement was associated with higher parent-reported relative father involvement. Moreover, maternal encouragement mediated the association between coparenting quality and reported relative father involvement. With respect to fathers' observed behavior, fathers' beliefs and parents' perceptions of coparenting relationship quality were relevant only when mothers engaged in low levels of criticism and high levels of encouragement, respectively. These findings are consistent with the notion that mothers may shape father involvement through their roles as "gatekeepers." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bridging the divide: Openness in adoption and postadoption psychosocial adjustment among birth and adoptive parents.

Using 323 matched parties of birth mothers and adoptive parents, this study examined the association between the degree of adoption openness (e.g., contact and knowledge between parties) and birth and adoptive parents' postadoption adjustment shortly after the adoption placement (6 to 9 months). Data from birth fathers (N = 112), an understudied sample, were also explored. Openness was assessed by multiple informants. Results indicated that openness was significantly related to satisfaction with adoption process among adoptive parents and birth mothers. Increased openness was positively associated with birth mothers' postplacement adjustment, as indexed by birth mothers' self-reports and the interviewers' impression of birth mothers' adjustment. Birth fathers' report of openness was associated with their greater satisfaction with the adoption process and better postadoption adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental beliefs, infant temperament, and marital quality: Associations with infant–mother and infant–father attachment.

The present research examined parental beliefs about the importance of the paternal caregiving role, mothers’ and fathers’ reports of infant temperament, and observed marital quality as predictors of infant–mother and infant–father attachment security, over and above the effects of parental sensitivity. Infants’ attachment security to mothers and fathers were observed in the Strange Situation at 12 and 13 months, respectively (N = 62 two-parent families). Hierarchical regression models revealed that mothers who viewed the paternal caregiving role as important were less likely to have securely attached infants, but only when infant fussiness was high. In addition, fathers who viewed the paternal caregiving role as important were more likely to have securely attached infants, but only when infants’ fussiness or marital quality was high. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Processes underlying father involvement in dual-earner and single-earner families.

Correlates of father involvement were examined separately in 20 dual-earner and 20 single-earner families that were participating in a larger longitudinal study of the early years of marriage. All families had one child between 1 and 25 months of age. During interviews held 2? years after marriage, parents completed questionnaires from which data on fathers' work hours, sex role attitudes, perceived skill at child care, and perceptions of love for their wives were drawn. During the several weeks following these interviews, mothers and fathers were telephoned on nine occasions and asked to report separately on child care, leisure activities, and marital interactions that had occurred during the 24 hr preceding each call. Fathers in dual-earner families were significantly more involved in child care than single-earner fathers, but the two groups did not differ in leisure involvement with their children. More important, there were different correlates of father involvement in the two groups, patterns suggesting that dual-earner fathers may increase their involvement with their children at the expense of harmonious marital relations. The findings are discussed with regard to the importance of studying family processes in contrasting family ecologies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multivariate models of mothers' and fathers' aggression toward their children.

Multivariate, biopsychosocial, explanatory models of mothers' and fathers' psychological and physical aggression toward their 3- to 7-year-old children were fitted and cross-validated in 453 representatively sampled families. Models explaining mothers' and fathers' aggression were substantially similar. Surprisingly, many variables identified as risk factors in the parental aggression and physical child abuse literatures, such as income, unrealistic expectations, and alcohol problems, although correlated with aggression bivariately, did not contribute uniquely to the models. In contrast, a small number of variables (i.e., child responsible attributions, overreactive discipline style, anger expression, and attitudes approving of aggression) appeared to be important pathways to parent aggression, mediating the effects of more distal risk factors. Models accounted for a moderate proportion of the variance in aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors associated with fathers' caregiving activities and sensitivity with young children.

A multifactorial model was used to identify child, sociodemographic, paternal, and maternal characteristics associated with 2 aspects of fathers' parenting. Fathers were interviewed about their caregiving responsibilities at 6, 15, 24, and 36 months, and a subset was videotaped during father-child play at 6 and 36 months. Caregiving activities and sensitivity during play interactions were predicted by different factors. Fathers were more involved in caregiving when fathers worked fewer hours and mothers worked more hours, when fathers and mothers were younger, when fathers had more positive personalities, when mothers reported greater marital intimacy, and when children were boys. Fathers who had less traditional child-rearing beliefs, were older, and reported more marital intimacy were more sensitive during play. These findings are consistent with a multifactorial and multidimensional view of fathering. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)