Acculturation and Father Engagement with Infants Among Chineseand Mexican-Origin Immigrant Fathers

Abstract

Using a sample of resident fathers (i.e., fathers who co-reside with children) in the 9-month Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth Cohort (ECLSB), this study examined how acculturation is associated with father engagement with infants for Chinese and Mexican immigrant fathers. When a variety of individual and demographic characteristics were controlled for, results from Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models indicate that U.S. citizenship is negatively associated with warmth for Chinese fathers and that English language use is positively associated with physical care and nurturing activities for Mexican fathers. Findings suggest that some dimensions of acculturation shape parenting across different groups and are a predictor of resident men’s involvement with their young children.