Parenting Practices Among Fathers of a Cohort of Pacific Infants in New Zealand

Abstract

This study examined the nurturing and harsh disciplinary parenting practices of fathers of a cohort of Pacific children born in New Zealand. At the 12-month measurement point, 823 fathers completed a modified version of the Parent Behavior Checklist comprising 15 items, 10 forming a Nurturing subscale and 5 forming a Harsh Discipline subscale. Findings revealed that a majority of Pacific fathers never or rarely used harsh discipline with their 12-month-old child, and hitting with an object was extremely rare. Levels of nurturance were more mixed, with playing and praise being common, but provision and reading of books being relatively uncommon. Multivariate logistic regression showed that relatively low Nurturance scores were associated with cultural separation, lower formal education, and nonpartnered marital status. Relatively high Harsh Discipline scores were associated with partnered marital status, gambling, and harmful alcohol consumption. Relatively low Harsh Discipline scores were associated with Tongan ethnicity and cultural maintenance.