Fathers in disadvantaged families: The importance of parental self-efficacy and partnership satisfaction for infants' development and mothers' interactive style

Abstract

A father's involvement and influence on child development has received increasing scientific attention over the last decades. Nevertheless, parental self-efficacy (PSE) in fathers and its associations with early mother-child interaction and child outcomes are understudied, especially when environmental conditions of the family are adverse. Partnership satisfaction as a key determinant of family unity could be a possible mediating variable determining these associations. The present article examines the importance of self-rated paternal PSE and partnership satisfaction at six months postpartum for infant's cognitive, psychomotor, and social-emotional development and maternal interaction style at 12 months postpartum in a sample of 83 socially and financially disadvantaged families. Results indicate significant associations among paternal ratings, maternal reciprocity and infants' social-emotional development. Paternal partnership satisfaction was found to fully mediate the association between paternal PSE ...