Father Involvement In Childcare Research Articles

Russian fathers' involvement in childcare, children's education and housework during the COVID‐19 lockdown

AbstractThis study attempts to determine whether the increasing need for parental assistance with schooling and the improved options for this owing to remote work had an impact on fathers' involvement in childcare, children's education and housework during the COVID‐19 lockdown. We make use of information from a May 2020 online poll of 1359 Russian mothers. Using binary logistic regression, we examine the links between fathers' work schedules, the need for additional school support for children and an increase in father involvement. We compare father involvement in children's education and childcare before and during the lockdown. Our findings partially corroborate the ‘needs exposure’ theory, which holds that greater awareness of family needs can boost fathers' engagement. Furthermore, they emphasize that, given the high likelihood of upcoming pandemics and other crises affecting family life, considerable steps should be taken to promote gender equality in the family and the workplace. Such actions might be advantageous for the health of both parents and children.

Examination of psycho-motor development of children who were 6–36 months in the COVID-19 stay-at-home period

This study aims to examine the pandemic's effect on the psycho-motor development of children aged 6–36 months during the Covid 19 pandemic period and now aged 2–5 years. This study was cross-sectional and children (n = 150) aged 2–5 years were included in the study. Data were collected using the Ankara Developmental Screening Inventory (ADSI) in 2022. The proportion of children included in the study who have general development, language-cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, and social skill-self-care development levels at a delay-suspiciously were 25.4%, 18.0%, 58.7%, 22.0%, and 25.3%, respectively. Children's overall development and specific areas of development are more positively affected by the younger age of the child. Additionally, shorter pregnancies, earlier pregnancies, and father involvement in childcare all have positive effects on child development. During the pandemic period, the fact that older children stay at home has further negatively affected their development. Fine motor development was most negatively affected.

An Overview of Father Involvement in Parenting Children with Dyslexia

Father involvement in child care is very important for child development. Based on several studies, father involvement can affect child development. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of how the involvement of working fathers in providing care for children who have dyslexia. The method used is qualitative with a phenomenological approach. The research participants were three fathers. Data obtained through interviews with openended questions via zoom. The result showed that the three participants still took their time to be involved in parenting, then on the other hand, it was also found that the difficulties experiences by fathers in caring for dyslexic children were due to limited interaction communication skills and behavioral issues of dyslexic children.

Work Gains and Strains on Father Involvement: The Mediating Role of Parenting Styles.

The balance between work and family demands is one of the main challenges of contemporary parenting. However, most of the research has focused on mothers' perspectives, with fathers' perspectives about the links between work-family activities and father involvement, as well as the role of indirect effects, such as parenting styles, being less explored. This study aims to bridge these gaps by exploring whether work strains or gains are related to father involvement in childcare and the mediating role of parental styles, focusing on fathers' reports. Working, married fathers of preschoolers (n = 411) self-reported about work strains and gains, parental styles, and father involvement. Structural equation modeling, using maximum-likelihood estimation, provided good fit indices. Results of the bootstrap analysis revealed how fathers' gains indirectly increased involvement both in direct and indirect care through positive parental styles. Otherwise, fathers' strains at work had a negative indirect effect on direct care through negative parental styles. Findings contribute to work-family interface by showing how parental styles account for mediating environmental challenges on father involvement.

Father Involvement and Maternal Stress: The Mediating Role of Coparenting.

In recent years mothers have been finding themselves overwhelmed by the need to balance work and maternal duties. Father involvement in childcare has been related to a decrease in mother's burden in childcare. This association is influenced by multiple aspects, such as the way parents share parenting perspectives and views about child rearing, i.e., coparenting. Nevertheless, the mediating role of coparenting on the association between father involvement and maternal stress has been overlooked. This will be addressed by the current study. A total of 254 Portuguese married/cohabiting mothers of preschool children reported on maternal stress, father involvement in caregiving, and coparenting. Data was collected in public and private schools through questionnaires and online through advertisements in social media. Results show that greater father involvement in direct care was associated with greater maternal stress, but this direction changes when mediated by cooperative coparenting. Moreover, results suggest that when mothers perceived less conflict in coparenting, greater father (in)direct care contributed to decreased maternal stress. The current study supports the notion that fathers involvement and parent's cooperation account to mothers' wellbeing, which will improve family dynamics.

Duet or Solo? An Analysis of Paternal Involvement in Childcare in Korea by Couples’ Co-Participation Perspective

This paper examines father involvement in childcare from the perspective of couples’ co-participation in care tasks and factors associated with fathers’ childcare time performed by fathers alone. Drawing on the Korean Time Use Survey 2014, and a sample of dual-earner parents with preschool aged children, results show that the time spent in childcare alone by the father was considerably less than that of mothers. About 80% of mothers’ total childcare time was performed alone compared with 59.5% for fathers. For routine care, about 64.8% of fathers’ routine care time was performed alone by fathers. OLS regression results indicate that work hours of both mothers and fathers primarily shape the context in which fathers’ sole charge of care tasks occur. The egalitarian gender role attitude fathers hold was found to be another significant determinant of the total amount of time fathers spent on performing care tasks alone and the amount of time fathers spent on performing routine care tasks alone. Level of fathers’ educational attainment did not make differences to their solo care time.

Factors Affecting Father Involvement in Parenting and Solutions

This review mainly summarizes the influencing factors of fathers' involvement conducted by predecessors and puts forward relevant feasible countermeasures. Based on previous research, the influencing factors are concluded by many aspects, which can be mainly summarized in the following three levels: father characteristics, children characteristics and family factors. It can be specified into father’s socioeconomic status, child’s gender differences, maternal gatekeeping in father involvement, distribution of family power, and family type. It is worth noting that the father's efforts, the influence of other family members, marital relationship, social concepts inherent in the social environment, relevant national policies, and school cooperation will affect the final result of father involvement. Therefore, to truly increase father involvement in childcare, all parties need to recognize that this is not the father's personal business but need to work together to improve the situation. In response to this, we have proposed relevant feasible countermeasures for all parties.

Trajectories of fathers' childcare involvement and child behavioral outcomes

AbstractBackgroundFather's closeness and playful behavior influence a child's emotional and cognitive development. In this study, we aimed to assess the long‐term association of paternal involvement in childcare at 1–3 years of life on subsequent behavioral outcomes at 8 years of age.MethodsData were obtained from the 2010 cohort of the Longitudinal Survey of Newborns in the 21st century in Japan. We used group‐based trajectory modeling to predict the trajectory of total childcare scores in surveys 1, 2 and 3 to determine the overall involvement of fathers in childcare during early childhood. The level of fathers' involvement in childcare was categorized as “low”, “medium” and “high”. Responses from the eighth survey were used to assess child behavioral outcomes using five indicators when the child was 8 years old. Crude and adjusted logistic regression analysis was conducted to estimate the odds ratio (OR) separately for each of the behavioral outcomes of the child.ResultsAmong the 17,027 father‐child dyads included in this study, two‐thirds of the fathers were of the age group 30–39 years. Compared to low involvement, children of fathers with high involvement in childcare during the early childhood years were less likely to not want to go to school even after adjusting for covariates (adjusted OR, 0.46; 95% CI: 0.32–0.66).ConclusionsChildren benefit from their fathers' involvement in early childcare activities. To improve a child's well‐being, fathers should be encouraged by providing them with a suitable working environment with flexible arrangements and the opportunity to involve in childcare.

Fathers matter: Intrahousehold responsibilities and children's wellbeing during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy

The lockdown imposed during the spring of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic upset families lives, in addition to the health consequences of the virus, forcing parents to completely reorganize their labor, domestic work and childcare time. At the same time, school closures forced children to rearrange their lives and learning processes: in Italy, schools and nurseries were closed for four months, and the incidence and quality of distance learning activities was heterogeneous across education levels and among schools. Using real-time survey data on families with under-16 children collected in April 2020, which include information on parents’ market and household work, and their perception of their children's wellbeing, we estimate how the lockdown has affected children's use of time, their emotional status and their home learning, and whether the reallocation of intrahousehold responsibilities during the lockdown played a role in this process. Changes in the parental division of household tasks and childcare, mostly induced by the labor market restrictions imposed during the lockdown, point to a greater involvement of fathers in childcare and homeschooling activities. This positive variation in fathers’ involvement is accompanied by an increase in children's emotional wellbeing and by a reduction in TV and passive screen time. On the other hand, the quality of children's home learning does not appear to depend on which parent is overseeing their work, but rather on the type of distance learning activities proposed by their teachers.

Becoming Fathers: Initial Exploration of a Support Program for New Fathers.

Emerging fathers experience a variety of stressors, including identity and role transitions, changes in their relationships, and challenges in developing caregiving skills. Increasing expectations for father involvement in childcare are emphasizing the importance of the father role, but social supports for new fathers remain scarce. Nineteen expectant and new fathers participated in a pilot 5-week group intervention aimed at improving stress coping and involvement attitudes using a combination of mindfulness practices and skill-building for parenting and partner communication. We administered surveys pre- and postintervention to assess efficacy in the areas of stress, depressive symptoms, father involvement attitudes, and mindfulness. Within-participant differences were compared across participants as well as examining individual reliable change. Results indicated initial reductions in stress and depressive symptoms and increases in the mindfulness constructs of nonjudgment and nonreactivity. No significant changes were found in father involvement attitudes. Perinatal intervention specific to fathers holds promise as an underexplored avenue for supporting families across the transition to parenthood.

The Effect of Solution-Focused Thinking on Marital Satisfaction of Mothers with Infants Mediated by Father Involvement in Childcare and Marital Conflict

This study investigated the impact of solution-focused thinking on marital satisfaction via mediating roles of father involvement in childcare and marital conflict. A questionnaire survey was conducted among mothers with infants, living in Busan, Daegu and Yangsan, South Korea. Data from 264 mothers were analyzed using several multiple regression analyses and bootstrapping method with SPSS 25.0 and PROCESS macro (model 6) to test the serial double mediation model. The results of this study are as follows. First, mothers’ solution-focused thinking had a significant direct and indirect positive influence on marital satisfaction through both father involvement in childcare and marital conflict. Second, the sequential mediating effects of father involvement in childcare and marital conflict were statistically significant in the relationship between solution-focused thinking and marital satisfaction. The model accounted for 60% of the variance in mothers’ marital satisfaction. The results highlight the importance of solution-focused thinking that can enhance the marital satisfaction of mothers with infants and act as a resource for increasing father involvement in childcare and decreasing marital conflict. Based on the results, it is necessary to include solution-focused thinking, father involvement in childcare, and marital conflict as key elements in the intervention to improve marital satisfaction of mothers with infants.

Hubungan Keterlibatan Ayah dalam Pengasuhan Anak dengan Kemandirian

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of involvement of fathers in parenting with children's independence in Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Pembangunan UIN Jakarta. The independent variable in this study is the involvement of fathers in parenting, and the dependent variable is the independence of children. Data retrieval is done using the scale of father involvement in child care and the independence scale is based on a Likert scale. In this study validity test using Pearson Product Moment Correlation formula and reliability test using Cronbach Alpha with SPSS 22.0 computer program. Based on the results of data analysis, the correlation coefficient between father involvement in parenting and the independence of children was 0.579 with p0,000 less than 0.05. conclusions obtained are Ho rejected and Ha accepted. This shows that there is a significant relationship between the involvement of fathers in the care of children and the independence of children in Ibtidaiyah Pembangunan UIN Jakarta in a positive direction. This means that the higher the involvement of the father in caring for the child, the better the child's independence. Keywords: Father's involvement, independence, early childhood

A gendered pandemic: Childcare, homeschooling, and parents' employment during COVID‐19

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has dramatically affected employment, particularly for mothers. Many believe that the loss of childcare and homeschooling requirements are key contributors to this trend, but previous work has been unable to test these hypotheses due to data limitations. This study uses novel data from 989 partnered, US parents to empirically examine whether the loss of childcare and new homeschooling demands are associated with employment outcomes early in the pandemic. We also consider whether the division of childcare prior to the pandemic is associated with parents' employment. For parents with young children, the loss of full‐time childcare was associated with an increased risk of unemployment for mothers but not fathers. Yet, father involvement in childcare substantially buffered against negative employment outcomes for mothers of young children. For parents with school‐age children, participation in homeschooling was associated with adverse employment outcomes for mothers but not fathers. Overall, this study provides empirical support for the current discourse on gender differences in employment during the pandemic and also highlights the role fathers can play in buffering against reduced labor force participation among mothers.

FUTURE OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE – PARENTS’ PERSPECTIVE

Taking the parent’s perspective, the essay addresses the issue of work-life balance. Based on the observed trends, I made an attempt to predict which changes may have the greatest impact on the possibilities of achieving balance in the future: (1) shortening the time spent on performing professional work, (2) wide spreading of tasks contracts, which will increase flexibility as to place and time of performing tasks; (3) spread of precarious employment; (4) increased fathers’ involvement of fathers in childcare. While separately described the changes are interdependent; at the same time, their consequences can be positive (facilitate work-life balance) or negative. Moreover, the described changes will not equally apply to all employees in the future.

KETERLIBATAN AYAH DALAM PENGASUHAN ANAK DENGAN SEPARATION ANXIETY DISORDER

Father involvement in parenting is an important factor in the process of child development. However, the involvement of fathers in childcare is very low. The objective of this study is to explore and find out how fathers are involved in parenting of children with separation anxiety disorder. This research uses a qualitative approach. Collecting data in this study using structured interviews. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Participants in this study were 3 fathers who have children with Separation Anxiety Disorder (ASD). The results showed that the involvement of fathers in childcare plays an important role in the development of children with ASD. Fathers have done a good role in parenting for ASD children, as well as a good relationship between father and children with ASD. Fathers have varied activities to stimulate their ASD children, as well as positive communication by fathers to their children. Fathers give good understanding to their children and provide follow-up on their parenting involvement.

The influence of father involvement during childhood on the emotional well-being of young adult offspring: a cross-sectional survey of students at a university in Botswana

Africa is witnessing rapid changes in family structure with noticeable absence and non-involvement of fathers in child-rearing. This study investigated the influence of father involvement in child care on the emotional well-being of young adult offspring in a cross-sectional survey of 375 students (age: M = 21.05 ± 1.94) at a university in Botswana. The Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale and the Perception of Father Involvement Scale were used to assess emotional well-being and fathers’ involvement, respectively. T-tests, analyses of variance, and regression analyses were used to compute subpopulation differences and the influence of father involvement on emotional well-being. Only 38% of the students lived in a household with both parents, 70% indicated that they have a father figure (biological father, stepfather, uncles, and grandfathers), whereas, 30% of the students indicated that they had had no father figure. The female gender (β = .17, 95% CI = [.07, .27]), father availability (β = .23, 95% CI = [.06, .39]), and responsibility (β = .22, 95% CI = [.07, .27]) significantly and independently predicted emotional well-being. Significant differences were observed between biological father figures and no father figures and between other father figures and no father figure regarding emotional well-being. Father involvement, particularly the domains of availability and responsibility and having a father figure during childhood are associated with better emotional well-being in offspring.

Determinant of Coparenting Behavior in Intact Family: a Literature Review

Abstract Research on coparenting has been quite developed in the last four decades. In Indonesia, research related to coparenting still deals with father involvement in child care. While in other countries various coparenting behavior models have been developed in various context. This systematic review examines the empirical literature in the last ten years focusing on the determinants of coparenting behavior in intact family. Although at the beginning of its development coparenting research was carried out on divorced couples, this review examined the determinants of coparenting behavior in married couples. From several databases, the results show that determinants of coparenting behavior are involving of parental characteristics, child characteristics, marital relationships, and intervention program. It is expected that the results of this study can become a reference for conducting researchers on coparenting behavior especially in Indonesian family. Keywords : parenting, coparenting, intact family

The Impact of Work-Family Balance on Iranian Working Mothers’ Job Satisfaction: A Collectivistic Perspective

The Impact of Work-Family Balance on Iranian Working Mothers’ Job Satisfaction: A Collectivistic Perspective Iman Dadras, Ph.D., LMFT Abstract The current study assesses the influence of work-family balance on job satisfaction of Iranian married, working mothers who had at least one child under the age of 18 years old. The data for the study comes from self-report surveys, adopted from Bohen and Viveros-Long (1981) answered by 130 Iranian working mothers. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis results revealed that the number of working hours and the number of children negatively impacts working mothers‘ job satisfaction. Father involvement in childcare and household tasks was not a significant predictor of job satisfaction, whereas working mothers‘ parental satisfaction levels positively contributed to their job satisfaction. Finally, family role conflict was the most significant predictor of job satisfaction. The results are interpreted based on the cultural undercurrents of the participants. Implications are explored and practical suggestions for the future studies are represented. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/ijgws.v8n2a6

Keterlibatan Ayah Dalam Pemberian Stimulasi Tumbuh Kembang Pada Anak Prasekolah

Stimulation of growth and development in children including pre-school age children is very important to do by parents and families. This is done to stimulate the ability and growth and development of children to grow and develop optimally in accordance with the stages of development. Many factors affect parents in providing growth and development stimulus in pre-school age children. One of them is the involvement of fathers in childcare. The purpose of this study was to obtain a picture of the factors that influence parents in providing stimulation of preschool children growth and development. The research design used was descriptive research with cross-sectional study. Data analysis using component analysis with univariate and bivariate analysis. The results showed that the father's involvement variable influences the provision of growth and growth stimulation in pre-school children (p value = 0.001), and OR = 10.978 which means that respondents who have father involvement in good stimulation have an opportunity for mothers 10.9 times better in doing growth and growth stimulation on their children compared to respondents who had less father involvement in stimulation. The involvement or role of fathers in the stimulation of growth and development becomes an important aspect for children's development.

Linking maternal gatekeeping to child outcomes in dual-earner families in China: the mediating role of father involvement

ABSTRACT Despite the positive effects of father involvement on children outcomes, mothers may hold inconsistent attitudes toward father involvement in childcare. Taking mothers’ diverse attitudes and behaviours into account, Puhlman and Pasley [(2013). Rethinking maternal gatekeeping. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 5(3), 176–193] defined maternal gatekeeping as a multi-dimensional construct which includes control, discouragement as well as encouragement. Following their framework, the current work explored how this father–mother relationship and father–child involvement affected children’s development. Analysis of survey data from 214 families in Beijing indicated that (1) mothers’ positive gatekeeping behaviours appeared more often than negative ones; (2) fathers involved more in rule teaching and emotional communication than in recreational activities and daily caring; (3) mothers’ encouraging and discouraging behaviours were significantly correlated with father involvement; (4) maternal gatekeeping could influence children’s social emotional development through the mediating effect of father involvement. The findings suggest the importance of co-parenting in dual-earner families.