Abstract
Research has shown that paternal involvement positively impacts on child health and development. We aimed to develop a conceptual model of dimensions of fatherhood, identify and categorise methods used for linking fathers with their children in administrative data, and map these methods onto the dimensions of fatherhood. We carried out a systematic scoping review to create a conceptual framework of paternal involvement and identify studies exploring the impact of paternal exposures on child health and development outcomes using administrative data. We identified four methods that have been used globally to link fathers and children in administrative data based on family or household identifiers using address data, identifiable information about the father on the child's birth registration, health claims data, and Personal Identification Numbers. We did not identify direct measures of paternal involvement but mapping linkage methods to the framework highlighted possible proxies. The addition of paternal National Health Service numbers to birth notifications presents a way forward in the advancement of fatherhood research using administrative data sources.
Highlights
The relationship and daily interactions children share with their parents are key elements of child development
We carried out a systematic scoping review to create a conceptual framework of paternal involvement and identify studies of paternal impacts on child health using administrative data
For each group of linkage methods, we identified how the type of information on which the linkage is based may be used as a proxy for each of the three dimensions of fatherhood defined in our conceptual model
Summary
The relationship and daily interactions children share with their parents are key elements of child development. Social parent is a term used to describe an adult who fulfils a parenting role but is not biologically related to the child, such as a stepparent. Father involvement, characterised by the extent to which fathers interact with and ways in which they care and provide for their children, has historically centred around the contribution of human, financial, and social capital, with less focus on the more personal and nurturing components of parenthood (Marsiglio et al, 2000). Modern fatherhood has been influenced by a number of factors including increased employment of women as well as the diversity of new family forms and residence patterns (Marsiglio et al, 2000), with up to 2.4 million children in Great Britain living apart from one of their biological parents in 2017–18 (Department for Work and Pensions, 2020)
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