Father-child Interactions Research Articles

The co-location of home and work in two generations of farmers: what effects on fathering practices?

The co-location of home and work could enable parents to balance work and family life, but research has given contradictory results in regard to fathers who work at home. This article explores how the co-location of home and work in family farming affects fathers’ involvement in childcare. Interviews were conducted with two generations of fathers in seven families who have lived and worked on the same farm. Results showed significant differences between the two generations. The older generation of fathers integrated childcare into work, while the current generation more often fathers in domestic spaces rather than work spaces. Moreover, father–child interaction now takes place away from the farm as well. This study demonstrates that the significance of the co-location of home and work for fathering depends on shifting cultural and social contexts, and underscores fathering practices as relational, contingent and variable.

Initial Findings from a Feasibility Trial Examining the SafeCare Dad to Kids Program with Marginalized Fathers.

Few studies have explored the direct impact of behavioral parent training programs on child maltreatment behaviors among marginalized, at-risk fathers. This feasibility study examined SafeCare® Dad to Kids (Dad2K), an augmented version of the evidence-based child maltreatment prevention program SafeCare, to determine the acceptability and initial efficacy of the program for improving father parenting skills and reducing maltreatment risk. Ninety-nine fathers were enrolled in the study and randomized to the SafeCare Dad2K Intervention (n=51) or comparison (n=48). Intervention fathers participated in 6 home visiting sessions and comparison fathers received parenting materials via mail. All fathers participating in the study completed a baseline and 8-week assessment (post-intervention) of maltreatment behaviors. In addition, intervention fathers completed feasibility and parenting skill measures. A significant main effect emerged indicating decreases for both groups in psychologically aggressive behaviors. No significant group by time findings emerged for child maltreatment behaviors. Father intervention completers endorsed high satisfaction ratings for the program and demonstrated significant improvements in targeted father-child interaction skills. Based on the high rates of acceptability and initial improvement in positive parenting skills, findings demonstrate the feasibility for involving at-risk fathers in behavioral parent training programs targeting child maltreatment prevention.

Parent–child relationships and child executive functioning at school entry: the importance of fathers

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to examine the unique and interactive contributions of the quality of mothers’ and fathers’ relationships with their toddlers to the prediction of children’s subsequent executive functioning (EF). The sample included 46 low-risk middle-class families. The quality of mother–child and father–child interactions was assessed independently during separate interactive sequences at 18 months. Child EF problems were reported by teachers in kindergarten. The results indicated that only father–child interactions made a unique contribution to the prediction of children’s EF, and no interaction effect was observed. Kindergarteners who benefited from higher quality interactions with their fathers in toddlerhood were considered by their teachers to present fewer EF problems in everyday school situations. These results appeared to be somewhat more pronounced in father–son than father–daughter dyads. Overall, the results suggest that fathering and father–child relationships may deserve more empirical attention than they have received thus far in the EF literature.

Technoference: Parent Distraction With Technology and Associations With Child Behavior Problems.

Heavy parent digital technology use has been associated with suboptimal parent-child interactions, but no studies examine associations with child behavior. This study investigates whether parental problematic technology use is associated with technology-based interruptions in parent-child interactions, termed "technoference," and whether technoference is associated with child behavior problems. Parent reports from 170 U.S. families (child Mage =3.04years) and actor-partner interdependence modeling showed that maternal and paternal problematic digital technology use predicted greater technoference in mother-child and father-child interactions; then, maternal technoference predicted both mothers' and fathers' reports of child externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results suggest that technological interruptions are associated with child problem behaviors, but directionality and transactional processes should be examined in future longitudinal studies.

FATHER-CHILD INTERACTIONS AT 3 MONTHS AND 24 MONTHS: CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHILDREN'S COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT AT 24 MONTHS.

ABSTRACTThe quality of father–child interactions has become a focus of increasing research in the field of child development. We examined the potential contribution of father–child interactions at both 3 months and 24 months to children's cognitive development at 24 months. Observational measures of father–child interactions at 3 and 24 months were used to assess the quality of fathers’ parenting (n = 192). At 24 months, the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (N. Bayley, 1993) measured cognitive functioning. The association between interactions and cognitive development was examined using multiple linear regression analyses, adjusting for paternal age, education and depression, infant age, and maternal sensitivity. Children whose fathers displayed more withdrawn and depressive behaviors in father–infant interactions at 3 months scored lower on the MDI at 24 months. At 24 months, children whose fathers were more engaged and sensitive as well as those whose fathers were less controlling in their interactions scored higher on the MDI. These findings were independent of the effects of maternal sensitivity. Results indicate that father–child interactions, even from a very young age (i.e., 3 months) may influence children's cognitive development. They highlight the potential significance of interventions to promote positive parenting by fathers and policies that encourage fathers to spend more time with their young children.

Father-Child and Mother-Child Interactions with Children with Anxiety Disorders: Emotional Expressivity and Flexibility of Dyads

This observational study examined whether emotional expressivity and emotional flexibility differed between parent-child dyads with and without children with an anxiety disorder (AD). Effects of parents’ own AD on emotional expressivity and flexibility of dyads was also studied. The sample consisted of 128 referred children (59.4% girls) with an AD (8–18-year-olds) and both of their parents, and 44 matched non-AD children (63.6% girls) and both of their parents. Father-child and mother-child dyads were videotaped while discussing a conflict. Measures of dyadic emotional expressivity (positive and negative affect) and dyadic emotional flexibility (transitions, dispersion, average duration) were derived from these interactions using state space grid analysis. No differences existed in emotional expressivity of parent-child dyads with or without AD children, however both father-child and mother-child dyads with a child with an AD displayed less emotional flexibility during interactions than healthy controls. Mother-child dyads where both mother and child had AD showed more emotional expressivity and less emotional flexibility compared to mother-child dyads with only AD children and to dyads without AD. In particular, the inability to flexibly move in and out of different emotions distinguishes healthy dyads from non-healthy dyads. Targeting emotional flexibility of dyads with children with an AD, and also emotional expressivity of dyads when mother has an AD, might be a valuable goal for family-based intervention.

THE EDUCATIONAL POTENTIAL OF FATHERHOOD: CONCEPTUAL BASES OF RESEARCH AND SUPPORT

Introduction. Nowadays, under the conditions of a general crisis of family relations, fatherhood as a social phenomenon and institution increasingly attracts the interest of researchers in various fields of humanitarian knowledge. However, Russian researchers have not treated educational potential of fatherhood in much detail due to historically developed objective reasons. Most studies are conducted not systemically; many of them describe typical problems. Moreover, previous studies of the educational potential of fatherhood have not dealt with practical recommendations for support and development of fatherhood as an educational institution. The aims of this research are: the analysis of fatherhood as an educational institution; scientific and theoretical justification for opportunities to strengthen family relations and children welfare through pedagogical support for fatherhood period. Methodology and research methods. The methodological framework of the research undertaken by authors is based on institutional approach. The relevant directions of the research on the stated problematics are highlighted on the basis of the review of the Russian and foreign scientific literature; the analysis of normative documents and generalization of social and pedagogical practices. The theoretical analysis and synthesis of the data obtained during the surveys among men from different regions ofRussia and foreign countries allowed the authors to structure typical ideas about fatherhood and to model a concept for its educational resources. Results and scientific novelty. The problems complicating mass reproduction of effective “fatherly pedagogy” are designated: system crisis of a family and masculinity; socio-economic factors resulting in the low educational motivation of fathers; lack of clear and positive ideological and valuable bases of human existence, etc. The concepts “fatherhood” and “educational potential of fatherhood” are consistently interpreted. The concept “language” of the father-child interaction (FCI), new to psychology and pedagogical knowledge, is introduced. Given the above concept consists in the direct emotional and communicative interaction based on empathy and “episodic” relation of a father to a child's life, i.e. pragmatic love. The general logic of FCI can be presented as “language-form-value”; particular options of implementation of the general formula can be “sport-training-health”, “literature-reading-meaning”, “arts-concerts-tastes”, etc. According to the authors, practical application of concrete substantial forms-units (“languages”) of the FCI system is an effective pedagogical tool for individual and personal updating of fatherhood in order to positively influence the formation of a child’s socialization. The concept of educational potential of fatherhood which includes three key determinants is worked out: knowledge and erudition of a father-parent; his personal qualities; system of motives and values. Practical significance. The proposed three-part model of determinants for educational potential of fatherhood could be applied to undertake the diagnostics of this potential among parents for organization of their pedagogical support. The idea of “languages” of FCI might be useful for social projects implementation to support families and institute of fatherhood.

Paternal involvement and early infant neurodevelopment: the mediation role of maternal parenting stress

BackgroundFather–child interactions are associated with improved developmental outcomes among infants. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has addressed the effects of paternal involvement on the neurodevelopment of infants who are less than 6 months of age, and no study has reported how maternal parenting stress mediates the relationship between paternal involvement and infant neurodevelopment during early infancy. This study investigates the direct and indirect relationship between paternal involvement and infant neurodevelopment at 3–4 months of age. The indirect relationship was assessed through the mediating factor of maternal parenting stress.MethodsThe participants were recruited through the Sesalmaul Research Center’s website from April to June 2014. The final data included 255 mothers and their healthy infants, who were aged 3–4 months. The mothers reported paternal involvement and maternal parenting stress by using Korean Parenting Alliance Inventory (K-PAI) and Parenting Stress Index (PSI), respectively. Experts visited the participants’ homes to observe infant neurodevelopment, and completed a developmental examination using Korean version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire II (K-ASQ II). A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used for data analysis.ResultsInfants’ mean ages were 106 days and girls accounted for 46.3%. The mean total scores (reference range) of the K-PAI, PSI, and the K-ASQ II were 55.5 (17–68), 45.8 (25–100), and 243.2 (0–300), respectively. Paternal involvement had a positive relationship with K-ASQ II scores (β = 0.29, p < 0.001) at 3–4 months of age, whereas maternal parenting stress was negatively related with K-ASQ II scores (β = −0.32, p < 0.001). Maternal parenting stress mediated the relationship between paternal involvement and early infant neurodevelopment (Z = 3.24, p < 0.001). A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that paternal involvement reduced maternal parenting stress (β = −0.25, p < 0.001), which led to positive infant outcomes (β = 0.23, p < 0.001).ConclusionsPaternal involvement is significantly associated with infant neurodevelopment during early infancy, and maternal parenting stress partially mediates that association. This result emphasizes the importance of fathers’ involvement and mothers’ parenting stress on early infant neurodevelopment.

Observed Mother– and Father–Child Interaction Differences in Families with Medically Assisted Reproduction‐Conceived Twins and Singletons

Increased medically assisted reproduction (MAR) use to treat infertility has resulted in a growing twin birth rate. Little is known about parent-child relationships for twin relative to singleton children in middle childhood. This study fills this gap by examining parent-child relationships in 57 families with eighty 6- to 12-year-old MAR twin and singleton children using observational data (warm and supportive communication, control, and hostility). Nested ANCOVAs indicate that while mothers exhibit similar interactional behaviors toward twins and singletons, fathers have less optimum behaviors toward twins relative to singletons. Twins displayed less engaged behavior with mothers and fathers relative to singletons. Given the vitality of parent-child relationships for family and child adjustment, future studies should examine determinants and outcomes of twin-singleton relationship differences to bolster twins' and their families' functioning.

Study protocol for a randomized clinical trial of a fatherhood intervention for African American non-resident fathers: Can we improve father and child outcomes?

PurposeAfrican American (AA) fathers who live apart from their children face multiple obstacles to consistent and positive involvement with their children. Consequently, significant numbers of children are bereft of their father's positive involvement. Intervention research that is explicitly focused on promoting the positive involvement of non-resident AA fathers with their young children is limited. The purpose of this article is to describe the study protocol of a randomized trial (RCT) designed to test the Building Bridges to Fatherhood program against a financial literacy comparison condition; and discuss early implementation challenges. MethodsFathers (n=180) are recruited to attend 10 group meetings, reimbursed for transportation, given dinner and activity vouchers for spending time with their child, and incentivized with a $40 gift card at each data collection time point. Mothers are incentivized ($40 gift card) at data collection and must be amenable to father child interaction. Intervention targets include father psychological well-being, parenting competence, communication, problem-solving ability; father-mother relationship quality; and child behavioral and emotional/social development. ResultsTo date, 57 fathers have been randomized to study condition. Recruitment has been influenced by father and mother hesitancy and the logistics of reaching and maintaining contact with participants. Strategies to surmount challenges to father and mother recruitment and engagement have been developed. ConclusionsThe prospective benefits of positive father involvement to children, fathers and families outweigh the challenges associated with community-based intervention research. The findings from this RCT can inform the body of knowledge on engaging AA non-resident fathers in culturally relevant fatherhood programming.

Turkish Fathers’ Utterance Complexity during the Interaction of Toy Play with Their Preschoolers

There has been little research on the contributions of paternal language to their young children. Particularly father education may influence the quantity and the quality of father-child interactions (Pancsofar & Vernon-Feagans, 2010). Focusing on the link between fathers’ socioeconomic status (SES) and their language input, this research aims to investigate how fathers’ SES influences their utterance complexity in the toy play context with their young children. Ten fathers differing in SES and their preschoolers were taped in their homes for about 15 minutes and fathers were asked to help their child during the toy play sessions. Research on fathers, though limited (Cabrera et al., 2007) has shown that father education is positively associated with children’s language development. Since very few studies have considered the possible contributions of paternal language to children’s early language development, this study examines the father-child dialogues and focuses on both fathers’ and their children’s language use. In this respect, this cross-sectional study tries to explore the father-child interactional patterns in terms of both fathers’ and their children’s utterance complexity, and reveal to what extent the linguistic contributions of fathers differentiate depending on their SES. The results indicate that SES has an important role in language use; that is, the utterances of high SES fathers and children are more complex and longer than their low SES counterparts.

The Effect of the Educational Program on Iranian Fathers’ Involvement in Infant care: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study

Introduction With the increase in women's employment and change in attitudes towards father's role in family, father involvement in infant care can indirectly influence the physical health and well being of infant and mother. Materials and Methods This randomized clinical trial study was performed on 150 qualified pregnant women and husbands. During the 35-37 weeks of pregnancy, fathers in fathers' training group and couples in couples' training group, participated in two training sessions of healthy infant caring. Fathers in control group received no training and mothers in all three groups received the routine pregnancy training and care. At the end of 4 and 8 weeks after birth, the involvement rate of fathers in infant care questioners were completed by mothers in all three groups. The data were analyzed using Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and SPSS software version 16. Results The total amount of involvement was calculated 55.77 for the fourth week and 62.64 for the eighth week. The average of total involvement rate and three dimensions of direct father-child interaction, accessibility and responsibility and providing financial resources in two training groups comparing with that the control group, indicated a significant difference (P�0.05). Conclusion Training the fathers regarding the infant care led to an increase in the fathers' involvement dimensions in infant care. Thus, paternal training of this educational program should be considered in pregnancy care programs.

The effects of familial risk and parental resolution on parenting a child with mild intellectual disability

The current study investigated the manner by which family risk moderates the links between parental state of resolution with a child's diagnosis and both parent–child interaction and parental stress. The sample included 72 families with 4–7-year-old children (M=5.53, SD=0.73) diagnosed with mild intellectual disability. Parents reported on their resolution state and parental stress, and parent–child interactions were videotaped and analyzed. Results indicated that in families where mothers or fathers were unresolved rather than resolved, mother–child interactions were less positive only in the context of high family risk. The father–child interaction was not found to be affected by family risk and parental resolution. Interestingly, mothers in low family risk situations who were resolved reported the lowest level of parental stress, suggesting a “double buffer” effect, whereas fathers with high family risk who were unresolved experienced the highest levels of parental stress, suggesting a “double risk” effect.

The Relationship of Reflective Functioning to Parent Child Interactions in a Sample of Fathers With Concurrent Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration and Substance Abuse Problems.

This study is the first to examine reflective functioning (RF) and direct parent-child interactions of fathers with concurrent intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration and substance abuse (SA) problems. Twenty-four fathers, with children between the age of one and seven, completed a structured interview to assess RF, self-report measures of hostile-aggressive parenting behaviors, IPV perpetration severity, SA severity, and a coded play session with their children. Results of three simultaneous multiple regressions revealed that RF in fathers was not associated significantly with observed parenting behaviors. However, fathers' SA severity emerged as a significant predictor for child avoidant behavior and dyadic tension, and fathers' IPV perpetration severity contributed unique variance to child avoidant behavior and dyadic constriction. These results suggest that fathers' SA severity and IPV perpetration behaviors may be more salient factors in predicting their father-child interactions than paternal RF.

Associations of contextual risk and protective factors with fathers' parenting practices in the postdeployment environment.

Deployment separation and reunifications are salient contexts that directly impact effective family functioning and parenting for military fathers. Yet, we know very little about determinants of postdeployed father involvement and effective parenting. The present study examined hypothesized risk and protective factors of observed parenting for 282 postdeployed fathers who served in the National Guard/Reserves. Preintervention data were employed from fathers participating in the After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools randomized control trial. Parenting practices were obtained from direct observation of father-child interaction and included measures of problem solving, harsh discipline, positive involvement, encouragement, and monitoring. Risk factors included combat exposure, negative life events, months deployed, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Protective factors included education, income, dyadic adjustment, and social support. Results of a structural equation model assessing risk and protective factors for an effective parenting construct indicated that months deployed, income, and father age were most related to observed parenting, explaining 16% of the variance. We are aware of no other study using direct parent-child observations of fathers' parenting skills following overseas deployment. Implications for practice and preventive intervention are discussed.

Marital conflict and parental responses to infant negative emotions: Relations with toddler emotional regulation

According to family systems theory, children's emotional development is likely to be influenced by family interactions at multiple levels, including marital, mother–child, and father–child interactions, as well as by interrelations between these levels. The purpose of the present study was to examine parents’ marital conflict and mothers’ and fathers’ distressed responses to their infant's negative emotions, assessed when their child was 8 and 24 months old, in addition to interactions between parents’ marital conflict and their distressed responses, as predictors of their toddler's negative and flat/withdrawn affect at 24 months. Higher marital conflict during infancy and toddlerhood predicted both increased negative and increased flat/withdrawn affect during toddlerhood. In addition, toddlers’ negative (but not flat) affect was related to mothers’ distressed responses, but was only related to father's distressed responses when martial conflict was high. Implications of this study for parent education and family intervention were discussed.

Effects of Father’s Play Beliefs on Father-Child Interaction and Child’s Social Skills

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of father`s play beliefs on father-child interaction and child`s social skills. The subjects were 370 fathers of 1, 2 and 3 graders of elementary schools who lived in Seoul and Gyeonggi area. The results were as follows; First, the differences were found to be significant between the whole of father`s play hours, play focus beliefs, study focus beliefs and father-child interaction, and their sub-variables of disciplinary action, sensitiveness, and affectionate expression; and between the whole of child`s social skills and its sub-variables of cooperative action, self-assertion and self-control. Second, the higher play focus beliefs, the more positive interaction on the child, and specifically they use much democratic disciplinary action, sensitiveness and affectionate expression. Third, as to the effect of the father`s play focus beliefs on the child`s social skills, father-child interaction was found to act as a partial parameter, while as to the effect of the father`s study focus beliefs on the child`s social skills, father-child interaction was found to act as a full parameter.

A person-oriented approach to diary data. Children’s temperamental negative emotionality increases susceptibility to emotion transmission in father-child dyads

The notion that some individuals are more prone to emotion transmission than others has prompted the need for a person-oriented approach to emotion transmission in parent-child dyads. The present study applied a person-oriented analysis to examine the patterns of emotion transmission that can be identified in the diary data of father-child dyads, and the extent to which children with high levels of temperamental negative emotionality are particularly susceptible to emotion transmission within the family. Mothers of 149 first grade children (age 6 to 7) completed questionnaires concerning their child’s temperament. Mothers and fathers maintained diary questionnaires (for a total of 7 days) concerning their child’s negative daily emotions, and fathers (n = 116) maintained diary questionnaires concerning their own negative daily emotions. Results of variable-oriented analyses with prospective change multilevel modeling showed, first, that emotions were, on average, not significantly transmitted in a father-child interaction. However, the person-oriented approach using multilevel mixture regression identified four qualitatively different patterns in the transmission of emotions. These results showed that the higher the level of a child’s temperamental negative emotionality, the more typical it was for the father-child dyad in their daily life to show interaction patterns wherein the father’s negative emotions were transmitted to the child.

Father–child interactions and children's risk of injury

Unintentional injury is an important cause of infant and child hospitalisation and parents play a key role in reducing children's risk-taking behaviour. Studies show that maternal and paternal parenting and supervision of children differ, but there is little research showing how fathers’ parenting may influence children's tendency to engage in risk-taking behaviour. Recent theoretical developments suggest that father's parenting may be particularly effective in encouraging safe risk taking. In this study, we examine how well parenting practices typically undertaken by fathers predict rates of children's injury risk at three years. Questionnaire data were collected from 46 fathers. Results show that both duration of rough-and-tumble play and fathers’ encouragement of perseverance predicted lower rates of injury behaviours, while their stimulation of risk taking predicted higher rates of injury behaviours. The results are discussed in the light of developmentally appropriate risk taking and fathering.

Autism, Stigma and Achievements of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a South East Asian developing country with moderate literacy rate. Here mental illness is quite prevalent and a huge burden. There is a widespread tendency to stigmatize people with mental illness in the developing countries. The mentally ill people and families are victim of social devaluation, discrimination and injustice. The stigma extends from neurodevelopmental to neurocognitive disorders. Parents of low-income countries experience a social stigma for having a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder or mental illness. They encounter social discrimination and experience increased levels of parental stress. Researchers reported that the parental increased stress caused limited father-child interactions; reduced childcare responsibilities and increased tendency to substances abuse among fathers whose children having autism [1]. People of developing countries mental hardly consider that mental illness has sufficient scientific basis and adequate treatment options. A study conducted by National Institute of Mental Health of Bangladesh revealed that more than 50% rural people of the study had faith on traditional healers. Moreover, they considered that the autism and other mental disorders were caused by ill spirits and required some measure other than medication [2]. Even the governments had negative and stigmatized view on mental illness and the adverse consequences and burden of these problems. Sometimes they think there is no cure of mental illness and there is no use in investing in this sector. This false belief and stigma act as a barrier to promote scientific management for the mental disorders including autism. To reduce this problem a strong political commitment and a holistic approach is need.