Father-child Contact Research Articles

Abdication of Responsibility for Father–Child Contact in a Group of Black South African Non-resident Father Families: A Systems Perspective

Much of what is known about non-resident fathers is based on studies conducted in North America and Europe, and on the accounts of only one family member. This article draws from a study which utilised a family systems perspective and obtained the views of four members of ten Black South African non-resident father families ( N = 40) with infrequent father–child contact. The aim was to investigate if and how non-resident fathers’ contact with adolescent children was influenced by relationships with various family members. Individual interviews were conducted with each of the family member and thematically analysed. Here, we engage with one of the master themes that shows the circular dynamic in families in which various family members held implicit assumptions about who was responsible for father–child contact and, subsequently, did not view the responsibility to be theirs. Infrequent or lack of non-resident father–child contact should therefore be addressed as a family systems issue.

Father–Child Contact During Prison and Its Association With Fathers’ Parenting Self-Efficacy

This study examines the association between three forms of father–child contact during incarceration and fathers’ reports of parental self-efficacy. The study’s sample derives from ( n = 1,720) fathers participating in the Multisite Family Study on Incarceration, Partnering, and Parenting (MFS-IP) study. Multivariate ordinary least squares regression models were conducted to examine the study’s hypotheses. Among the contact types, visits had a positive and significant effect on fathers’ views of their parental efficacy after controlling demographic, familial, and carceral characteristics. This study informs practice and policy, demonstrating that contact is essential to family-strengthening services and beneficial for incarcerated fathers and families. Importantly, efforts should be made to make it easier for fathers to have contact with their children.

Caught in the crossfire abused mothers’ struggles to navigate the Swedish domestic violence shelter system

ABSTRACT In this article, I apply institutional ethnography and the ‘generous’ concept of work to explore the strategies that abused mothers use to navigate the Swedish domestic violence shelter system. The article is based on qualitative interviews with eight women who have stayed in domestic violence shelters with their children. The analysis shows that the mothers enter a contradictory and gendered system in which their parenting skills are scrutinized and questioned, and demands for father-child contact coexist with demands to protect the children from their violent father. To navigate these institutional practices, mothers maintained a facade in front of the social services and shelter staff, sought allies within the system and tried to facilitate father-child contact without compromising the safety of their children. Mothers also spent a considerable amount of time trying to mobilize the system to help their children.

Rethinking maternal gatekeeping from a life‐course perspective: A study of post‐separation families

AbstractObjectiveThe article examines how maternal gatekeeping practices evolve in the post‐separation trajectory and identifies the main relational and contextual factors shaping these processes over time.BackgroundStudies of maternal gatekeeping have only recently begun to include post‐separation families based on cross‐sectional research designs. This article is theoretically grounded in a life‐course and human agency framework, and it both offers a novel understanding of maternal gatekeeping as a dynamic process and examines its relational embeddedness.MethodsThe data stem from the prospective qualitative study “The multiple paths of lone parenthood,” which has been ongoing in Switzerland for over a decade and includes four waves of semistructured interviews with mothers who have experienced lone parenthood (N = 88 interviews).ResultsMost mothers reported active facilitation practices at the beginning of their trajectory, encouraging the father–child relationship. Subsequently, shifts toward hands‐off or active gate‐closing practices took place over time along with the evolution of relational circumstances, such as the father's involvement or children's autonomy, or by an accumulation of negative experiences.ConclusionThe relationship with the nonresident father creates ongoing moral dilemmas for mothers over the post‐separation trajectory. Indeed, these mothers must navigate social norms that emphasize the importance of ensuring father–child contact while safeguarding the child's well‐being and ensuring that the father complies with visitation arrangements and alimony.ImplicationsProfessional support and legal regulations should consider the moral dilemmas experienced by mothers by establishing measures to relieve separated mothers of the need to take the initiative to obtain the father's compliance with their obligations.

"I Worry About My Kids' Safety When They Visit": Mothers' Perceptions of Father/Child Post-Separation Contact in the Context of IPV.

After separation because of intimate partner violence, fathers' contact with children can be problematic. This mixed methods secondary analysis focused on 280 Canadian separated/divorced mothers who were 48.4% White, 45.1% Indigenous, and 6.5% Visible Minority. Of 176 fathers, 105 (59.7%) had regular visits and, 71 (40.3%) visited sporadically; 104 had no contact. Comments from half the mothers (54.3%) with regular father-child visits indicated worry, and 41.9% of all mothers perceived their children as sad/upset and another 14.5% as angry/acting out in response to visitation. Recommendations to address mothers' and children's issues with respect to problematic father-child contact are provided.

Longitudinal Association Between the Quality of the Separated Parents' Relationship and the Frequency of Father-Child Contact: The Mothers' Perspective.

This longitudinal study is based on family systems theory and aims to explore the association between the quality of the separated parents' relationship and the frequency of father-child contact up to five years after parental separation. Using data collected from 408 families from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD), multilevel analyses and latent growth curve model were carried out. The results highlight a positive association between the separated parents' relationship and father-child contact and demonstrate the impact of the initial contact frequency on the evolution over time of the separated parents' relationship. They also highlight the contribution of custody tension, the child's age, the length of time the couple lived together, and the socio-economic status on the initial levels of the studied trajectories.

Children’s Contact With Fathers Who Never Co-Resided With Them and Father–Child Relationship Quality at age 9

Using a sample of 868 unmarried fathers who did not live with their children from birth to age 9, this study focused on the association between patterns of father–child contact during infancy and early and middle childhood and children’s perceptions of their relationship with the father at age 9. Children perceived significantly better quality relationships with fathers at age 9 when they had regular contact with fathers during infancy and early and middle childhood, than fathers who never saw their children. Children who no longer saw their fathers after infancy perceived more negative relationship quality at age 9. Contact with fathers at ages 1 and 5 were associated with better quality relationships even if there was no contact at age 9. Implications for policy and programs are discussed.

Caregiver views on father-child contact in prison during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for the use of video visits

ABSTRACT It is generally understood that visits to see incarcerated family members are good for children, families and those in prison. Much research has focused on the impact of prison visits on children and incarcerated mothers, ‘parents’ as a generic group or barriers to contact, while less attention has been paid to the effect of prison visits on incarcerated fathers. When COVID-19 spread across the globe in early 2020, prisons restricted in-person visits. In Australia, alternative forms of communication between prisoners and their families were utilised, including phone calls and video visits. Drawing on data from an online survey of caregivers of children with a family member in prison (n = 84), this paper specifically focuses on a sub-sample, reporting on imprisoned fathers (n = 70), describing and evaluating experiences with video visits. Most respondents reported that the father was not coping well with the lack of face-to-face contact, and almost two-thirds of respondents reported problems with keeping in contact after in-person visits were suspended. However, a small cohort of fathers were found to be coping well. These findings are explored, highlighting barriers to technology-facilitated visits, and point to a range of issues that need to be addressed for such visits to be beneficial.

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

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.

Does union type make a difference when you separate? Frequency of father–child contact and father’s satisfaction with the relation

Growing separation and divorce rates have attracted scholars’ attention to the association between relationship breakup and the relations between fathers and their minor children. Pre-separation life course events and characteristics may influence this relationship. One important characteristic to be considered is the type of union in which ex-partners were in. In this article, we study the association between previous union type and post-dissolution father–child face-to-face contact and father’s satisfaction with the relationship, before and after controlling for factors related to selection into a cohabiting union. Using pooled data from the first wave of the Generations and Gender Survey for 11 European countries, it is shown that, models that do not control for characteristics typically connected with selection into different union types suggest that previously cohabiting fathers have less intensive contact with their child(ren) and are less satisfied with the relationship with their minor children. Taking into consideration the main socio-demographic father and child’s characteristics, this difference turns out not to be statistically significant. This research suggests that union type does not make a difference, confirming most previous studies of single European countries.

Gender role attitudes and father practices as predictors of nonresident father-child contact.

Due to an increasing number of parental union dissolutions, a growing number of fathers does not cohabit with their biological children. This article analyses individual and societal gender role attitudes as well as societal father practices as determinants of nonresident father-child contact. Previous research shows that individual-level factors influence the relationship between nonresident fathers and their children. Research on resident fathers indicates that individual attitudes and societal contexts affect father-child involvement. Little is known on the relationship between individual gender role attitudes as well as societal gender role attitudes and father practices and nonresident fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives. To shed more light thereon, we examine data from eleven Eastern and Western European countries from the first wave of the Gender and Generations Survey. We analyze two samples: One consisting of nonresident fathers of children aged 0 to 13 and one of fathers of adolescents aged 14 to 17. Logistic regression models assess if individual and societal gender role attitudes as well as societal father practices predict the probability of monthly father-child contact. Contact between nonresident fathers is affected by different factors depending on whether the focus is on children or adolescents. Societal gender role attitudes and societal father practices predict the probability of monthly contact between fathers and their children; individual gender role attitudes are less important. Individual gender role attitudes, on the other hand, predict the probability of monthly contact between nonresident fathers and their adolescent children; societal factors matter less for this age group.

"When She Says Daddy": Black Fathers' Recidivism following Reentry from Jail.

We report on the findings of a mixed methods longitudinal study of 84 African American fathers of young children who were enrolled into the study during the father’s jail stay. Participants were assessed using interviews, self-report measures, and administrative records on frequency of father–child contact, father–caregiver relationship quality, family support, paternal pre-incarceration employment, fathers’ plans to live with the child upon reentry, history of substance abuse, and new convictions one year following release from jail. Qualitative analysis revealed three primary identities of fathers during incarceration: father as nurturer, father as protector, and father as provider. Qualitative analysis of interview data detailed the ways in which the context of incarceration and the presence of the criminal justice system interacts with these identities to impact family structure, parent–child visits, plans for release, and motivation for desistance. Quantitative analysis indicated heterogeneity among fathers, with links between parent–child contact and desistance conditional on fathers’ plans for coresidence with children as well as family support and relationship quality. Taken together, the findings highlight the strengths of African American fathers and their families despite the risks associated with incarceration, including the importance of family support and children as motivation for desistance. The results have implications for how the justice system weighs the bidirectional influences of fathers and families.

Paternal Imprisonment and Father–Child Relationships: A Systematic Review

Although father–child relationships (FCRs) are central to children’s experience of paternal imprisonment, few studies address this subject. A systematic review was conducted to synthesize the literature on paternal imprisonment and FCRs. Four academic databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies. Thirty studies were identified. It was found that FCRs most often deteriorate due to paternal imprisonment, but sometimes remain stable or change positively. Four key factors were found to influence FCRs: (a) the quality of preprison FCRs, (b) the frequency and experience of father–child contact during imprisonment, (c) the child’s primary caregivers’ role in facilitating father–child contact, and (d) prison barriers for maintaining FCRs during imprisonment. The interplay between these factors is essential for understanding FCRs in this context, which may explain children’s divergent experiences of paternal imprisonment. An integrated framework of FCRs in the context of paternal imprisonment is presented. Limitations and directions for research are discussed.

Father Involvement in the First Year After Prison: Considerations for Social Work

Purpose: Paternal incarceration poses significant concerns for fathers and their children. Despite the known negative consequences, little is understood about father involvement after prison. This study aims to further understanding of fatherhood following incarceration to inform future intervention strategies. Method: Using data from the Urban Institute’s Returning Home: Understanding the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry Study ( N = 326), we conduct bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine three dimensions of father involvement and predictors of involvement at two time points after prison. Results: Findings reveal generally high levels of father involvement in the first year following incarceration. Father-child contact during prison and increased work hours after prison showed positive effects on early father involvement, while post-prison engagement and contact following release were associated with later involvement. Conclusions: Promoting father-child contact and positive relationships during incarceration may be important for future father involvement after release. Potential social work and criminal justice practice and research opportunities are discussed.

The effect of multiple forms of father-child contact during imprisonment on fathers’ reports of relationship quality

According to the most recent national estimates, nearly 2.6 million children have an incarcerated parent (Glaze & Maruschak, 2008). Children with incarcerated parents are more likely to face height...

The Effects of Communication Quality and Lack of Contact with Fathers on Subjective Health Complaints and Life Satisfaction among Parental Divorced Youth

ABSTRACT Children and adolescents with and without parental divorce experience were assessed regarding their father–child communication quality and any lack of contact with their fathers, and the relationship with subjective health complaints and life satisfaction. A total of 4207 girls and boys between the age of 11 to 17 participated in a cross-sectional study. The findings revealed that almost 40% of the parental divorced youth had a poor father–child communication quality whereas about 10% did not have any contact with their fathers at all. Both communication quality and any lack of father–child contact were significantly related to subjective health complaints and life satisfaction. Communication quality moderated subjective health complaints only at the highest level of communication, whereas it moderated life satisfaction at all levels of communication. Thus having even a poor communication with the father, may be slightly better than no contact when it comes to life satisfaction after parental divorce. Implication of the study would be to address the risks related to poor father–child communication as well as lack of contact with the father in the aftermath of parental divorce, and emphasize the need for efficient efforts to prevent any such consequences.

Father Committed to Early Parenting from the First Father-child Contact Experienced at Birth

Objective: To know how the phenomenon of active paternal upbringing is shown from the father-child contact experience during birth. Method: Analysis of secondary information from a qualitative study of a phenomenological nature. Transcripts of interviews and focus groups of all the fathers who participated in a father-child contact protocol for a doctoral thesis. Results: The study revealed the global structure of the phenomenon, whose central axis corresponds to “father who advances towards the integral connection with his child and is committed with parenting”, and its three comprehensive categories: expectations of being a father and actor in parenting; the experience of being a father at birth time; and the everyday of the upbringing. Conclusion: Prenatal preparation and skin-to-skin contact during birth mobilize the father towards commitment and involvement with the upbringing of his child from the beginning.

Fathers in Jail and their Minor Children: Paternal Characteristics and Associations with Father-Child Contact.

More than five million children have experienced a co-resident parent leaving to spend time behind bars. Most incarceration occurs in jails, yet little is known about contact between parents in jail and their minor children. Such information is essential to inform programming and policy to support families in the context of incarceration. In the present study, 315 fathers in jail with minor children (3-17 years old) were recruited from four jails in the Midwest region of the United States. Fathers in jail reported their demographic information, incarceration-related characteristics (e.g., number of prior arrests), children's exposure to incarceration-related events, and frequency of contact with their children. Four main findings emerged: 1) telephone contact was the most common modality for engaging with children during a paternal jail stay, with 22% of fathers reporting daily phone contact with children, 2) types of contact were correlated, so that more phone contact and letter writing were associated with more frequent visits, 3) White, non-Hispanic fathers and those who did not plan to live with their children upon release were less likely to report telephone contact with their children, and 4) children who witnessed their fathers' arrest were less likely to write and children who witnessed their fathers' criminal activity were less likely to visit. Contact between fathers in jail and children has implications for the parent-child relationship. Future research should explore quality of and barriers to contact, including incarceration-related events.

Construction of Single Mothers’ Roles as Gatekeepers Between Children and Nonresident Fathers

This study explores single mothers’ roles as gatekeepers in the relationship between children and nonresident fathers in families, where fathers do not have a history of shared residence with their children. Thematic analysis of interviews with 34 mothers in Ireland revealed that the majority of mothers adopted gate-opening strategies, including active facilitation of father–child contact, conditional facilitation, and adoption of a “hands-off approach” wherein mothers were open to—but not actively involved in facilitating—father–child contact. A minority of mothers were not open to their children having contact with their fathers (gate-closing). Underpinning mothers’ gatekeeping strategies were beliefs about the importance of fathers and a desire to protect their children. The findings indicate that gate-opening could be challenging for mothers as they were required to balance a tension between believing that father–child contact was important for their children and being concerned about their children’s well-being within the father–child relationship.

YOUNG UNMARRIED FATHERS’ EXPERIENCES AND PERCEPTIONS OF FATHERHOOD

This article is based on a qualitative research study focusing on young unmarried fathers’ experiences and perceptions of fatherhood. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine fathers in KwaZulu-Natal. The participants had a total of fifteen children, four of whom lived with their fathers and paternal families. Findings indicated that high unemployment, non-payment of maintenance and cultural damages, and disputes with mothers and maternal families impacted significantly on father-child contact. All the participants wished to be more involved with their children and their conception of fatherhood extended beyond being just a provider to more nurturing roles.