Trajectories of Paternal Contact After Parental Separation: A Latent Class Growth Analysis

Abstract

A latent class growth curve analysis was conducted to model post-separation, paternal involvement trajectories over an 8-year period from the time of separation. Our sample was composed of 245 separated mothers whose data was drawn from a representative survey of Québec children. Four classes of distinct trajectories were identified: shared-time, near-shared-time, moderate-stable, and low-decreasing. The majority of fathers maintained a consistently high level of contact with their children, and the frequency of visits at the time of separation seemed to determine future father–child contact. Several factors predicted contact trajectories, including socioeconomic status, a new partner in the mother’s life, and the quality of the inter-parental relationship.