Father Reports Research Articles

Differential associations of early callous‐unemotional, oppositional, and ADHD behaviors: multiple domains within early‐starting conduct problems?

Early-starting child conduct problems (CP) are linked to the development of persistent antisocial behavior. Researchers have theorized multiple pathways to CP and that CP comprise separable domains, marked by callous-unemotional (CU) behavior, oppositional behavior, or ADHD symptoms. However, a lack of empirical evidence exists from studies that have examined whether there are unique correlates of these domains. We examined differential correlates of CU, oppositional, and ADHD behaviors during the preschool years to test their potentially distinct nomological networks. Multimethod data, including parent and teacher reports and observations of child behavior, were drawn from a prospective, longitudinal study of children assessed at age 3 and age 6 (N=240; 48% female). Dimensions of CU, oppositional, and ADHD behaviors were separable within Confirmatory Factor Analyses across mother and father reports. There were differential associations between CU, oppositional, and ADHD behaviors and socioemotional, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes: CU behavior was uniquely related to lower moral regulation, guilt, and empathy. ADHD was uniquely related to lower attentional focusing and observed effortful control. Finally, CU behavior uniquely predicted increases in teacher-reported externalizing from ages 3-6 over and above covariates, and ADHD and oppositional behavior. Consistent with theory, dimensions of CU, ADHD, and oppositional behavior demonstrated separable nomological networks representing separable facets within early-starting CP.

Unwanted childbearing and household food insecurity in the United States.

Household food insecurity is a population health concern disproportionately affecting families with children in the United States. Unwanted childbearing may place unanticipated strain on families to meet basic needs, heightening the risk for household food insecurity. We investigated the association between mother's and father's report of unwanted childbearing and exposure to household food insecurity among children residing in two-parent households in the United States. Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Birth Cohort, a nationally representative cohort of US children (n ∼ 6150), were used to estimate the odds of household food insecurity when children were aged 9 months and 2 years, separately, based on parental report of unwanted childbearing. The majority of children were reported as wanted by both parents (74.4%). Of the sample, report of unwanted childbearing by father-only was 20.0%, mother-only was 3.4% and joint mother and father was 2.2%. Household food insecurity was higher when children were 9 months compared with 2 years. In adjusted models accounting for confounders, children born to mothers and fathers who jointly reported unwanted childbearing were at higher odds of exposure to household food insecurity at 9 months [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.31; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.97, 5.57] and 2 years (AOR = 2.52; 95% CI: 1.12, 5.68). In two-parent households, we found that children raised by parents reporting unwanted childbearing were more likely to be exposed to food insecurity and potentially related stressors. Further studies that prospectively measure wantedness before the child's birth will aid in confirming the direction of this association.

Adaptação à Creche e o Processo de Separação-Individuação: Reações dos Bebês e Sentimentos Parentais

The present research investigated the reports of mothers and fathers about the babies’ reactions during the daycare adjustment and also the parents’ feelings and reactions at this moment. Thirteen babies and their parents who entered a daycare center during the differentiation (6th month), practicing (12th month) and rapprochement (20th month) sub-phases of the Separation-Individuation Process, took part in the study. Content analysis revealed that the feed refuse and illness were babies’ reactions in the differentiation and practicing sub-phases. Insecurity feelings were more frequent in the parents whose babies were in the practicing sub-phases, when some did not adjust to the daycare. In the rapprochement sub-phase the babies showed good adjustment despite babies’ initial reactions and some parents’ feelings of insecurity. The study highlights that the parents’ presence in the adjustment period makes the daycare center a landmark for the baby that permits the continuity of the separation-individuation process.

Bringing dads to the table: Comparing mother and father reports of child behaviour and parenting at mealtimes

Problem eating is common during childhood, though much of what is known is based on maternal report. The current study aimed to compare mother and father reports of child mealtime difficulties and associated parenting, by surveying parents of normally developing 1.5–6-year olds. Two samples were procured: The first, 110 mothers and 109 fathers of children with or without problem eating; the second, 44 mother/father pairs that each reported on the same child. Mothers and fathers of problem eaters, and those of non-problem eaters, did not differ significantly on reports of child behaviour, parenting strategies and cognitions at mealtimes in sample 1. These were parents of different children, though similarity between parents was also found in the reports of parents of the same children in sample 2. This similarity supports the role of both parents in assessing and treating problem eating, though additional studies with larger and more diverse samples are needed.

Bringing Dads to the Table: Comparing Mother and Father Reports of Child Behaviour and Parenting at Mealtimes

Bringing Dads to the Table: Comparing Mother and Father Reports of Child Behaviour and Parenting at Mealtimes

A Brief Measure of Peer Affiliation and Social Acceptance (PASA): Validity in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Early Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to conduct a multiagent–multimethod analysis of the validity of a brief measure of deviant peer affiliations and social acceptance (PASA) in young adolescents. Peer relationships are critical to child and adolescent social and emotional development, but currently available measures are tedious and time consuming. The PASA consists of a youth, parent, and teacher report that can be collected longitudinally to study development and intervention effectiveness. This longitudinal study included 998 middle school students and their families. We collected the PASA and peer sociometrics data in Grade 7 and a multiagent–multimethod construct of deviant peer clustering in Grade 8. Confirmatory factor analyses of the multiagent–multimethod data revealed that the constructs of deviant peer affiliations and social acceptance and rejection were distinguishable as unique but correlated constructs within the PASA. Convergent, discriminant, concurrent, and predictive validity of the PASA was satisfactory, although the acceptance and rejection constructs were highly correlated and showed similar patterns of concurrent validity. Factor invariance was established for mother reports and for father reports. Results suggest that the PASA is a valid and reliable measure of peer affiliation and of social acceptance among peers during the middle school years and provides a comprehensive yet brief assessment of peer affiliations and social acceptance.

Who Is the Residential Parent? Understanding Discrepancies in Unmarried Parents' Reports

Research examining parental reports of children's living arrangements has often relied on information about legally ordered custody agreements following divorce. This analysis used data from matched pairs of parents (N = 1,156) in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study who live apart to compare mother and father reports of their child's residence 5 years after a nonmarital birth. The authors found that over one third of unmarried parents disagreed about who their child lived with and that conflicting reports were much more likely when fathers spent nights with the mother (an indicator of part-time cohabitation) and had overnights with the child on their own. The results further suggest that discrepancies in unmarried parents' reports were more closely associated with the complexity and ambiguity of their living situations than with the quality of their relationships with each other. Implications for measuring children's living arrangements in families formed outside of marriage are discussed.

Children and adolescents coping with cancer: self- and parent reports of coping and anxiety/depression.

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer present children and adolescents with significant stress. However, research on the ways that children and adolescents cope with cancer-related stress has not yielded clear findings on the efficacy of different coping strategies, and has been limited by reliance primarily on self-reports of both coping and distress. To address this gap, the current study used a control-based model of coping to examine self- and parent reports of child/adolescent coping and symptoms of anxiety and depression in a sample of children with cancer. Children and adolescents (5 to 17 years old) and their parents were recruited near the time of a child's diagnosis or relapse of cancer (M = 1.30 months postdiagnosis). Child self-reports (n = 153), mother reports (n = 297), and father reports (n = 161) of children's coping and symptoms of anxiety/depression were obtained. Bivariate correlations revealed significant associations for secondary control coping (efforts to adapt to source of stress; e.g., acceptance, cognitive reappraisal) and disengagement coping (e.g., avoidance, denial) with anxiety/depression within and across informants. Linear multiple regression analyses indicated that secondary control coping accounted for unique variance in symptoms of anxiety/depression both within and across informants. Secondary control coping appears important for children and adolescents during early phases of treatment for cancer, and it may serve as an important target for future interventions to enhance adjustment in these children.

Parents’ Fathering Identity Standards and Later Father Involvement

Based on propositions from identity theory, this study used a sample of 1,596 coresident couples from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study to examine whether parents’ fathering role centrality standards and fathers’ status centrality at the time of their child’s birth were associated with mother and father reports of father involvement 1 and 3 years later. Mothers and fathers who rated fathering roles as more important reported greater father involvement at both Years 1 and 3; centrality of the father status was associated with father reports of involvement at both years, and mother-reported involvement at Year 3. Interactions between fathers’ and mothers’ role centrality standards, and between parents’ role centrality standards and father status centrality, were found for mother reports of involvement at Year 3. Implications for research, practice, and theory are discussed.

The development of personality extremity from childhood to adolescence: Relations to internalizing and externalizing problems.

This study investigated the development of personality extremity (deviation of an average midpoint of all 5 personality dimensions together) across childhood and adolescence, as well as relations between personality extremity and adjustment problems. For 598 children (mean age at Time 1 = 7.5 years), mothers and fathers reported the Big Five personality dimensions 4 times across 8 years. Children's vector length in a 5-dimensional configuration of the Big Five dimensions represented personality extremity. Mothers, fathers, and teachers reported children's internalizing and externalizing problems at the 1st and final measurement. In a cohort-sequential design, we modeled personality extremity in children and adolescents from ages 6 to 17 years. Growth mixture modeling revealed a similar solution for both mother and father reports: a large group with relatively short vectors that were stable over time (mother reports: 80.3%; father reports: 84.7%) and 2 smaller groups with relatively long vectors (i.e., extreme personality configuration). One group started out relatively extreme and decreased over time (mother reports: 13.2%; father reports: 10.4%), whereas the other group started out only slightly higher than the short vector group but increased across time (mother reports: 6.5%; father reports: 4.9%). Children who belonged to the increasingly extreme class experienced more internalizing and externalizing problems in late adolescence, controlling for previous levels of adjustment problems and the Big Five personality dimensions. Personality extremity may be important to consider when identifying children at risk for adjustment problems.

Family play and leisure activities: correlates of parents' and children's socio-emotional well-being

Guided by systems theory, this mixed-methods study of 98 families examined parent- and child-reported play, exploration, and leisure activities in relation to family members' socio-emotional well-being. Parents and children completed surveys independently and interviews were conducted with a subset of families. Quantitative findings showed that child report of secure exploration with both parents, and mother report of leisure activities, were associated with some couple and parent–child well-being indicators and nearly all child well-being indicators. Father report of play and leisure activities was associated with more couple and parent–child well-being indicators than mother report and showed some differences in associations with child well-being indicators. Interview data provided examples of how families incorporate play and leisure into their busy lives and the perceived benefits and enjoyment derived from these activities. These findings emphasize the importance of family play and leisure involvement for parents' and children's well-being.

Biological and rearing mother influences on child ADHD symptoms: revisiting the developmental interface between nature and nurture

Families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report more negative family relationships than families of children without ADHD. Questions remain as to the role of genetic factors underlying associations between family relationships and children's ADHD symptoms, and the role of children's ADHD symptoms as an evocative influence on the quality of relationships experienced within such families. Utilizing the attributes of two genetically sensitive research designs, the present study examined associations between biologically related and nonbiologically related maternal ADHD symptoms, parenting practices, child impulsivity/activation, and child ADHD symptoms. The combined attributes of the study designs permit assessment of associations while controlling for passive genotype-environment correlation and directly examining evocative genotype-environment correlation (rGE); two relatively under examined confounds of past research in this area. A cross-sectional adoption-at-conception design (Cardiff IVF Study; C-IVF) and a longitudinal adoption-at-birth design (Early Growth and Development Study; EGDS) were used. The C-IVF sample included 160 mothers and children (age 5-8years). The EGDS sample included 320 linked sets of adopted children (age 6years), adoptive-, and biologically related mothers. Questionnaires were used to assess maternal ADHD symptoms, parenting practices, child impulsivity/activation, and child ADHD symptoms. A cross-rater approach was used across measures of maternal behavior (mother reports) and child ADHD symptoms (father reports). Significant associations were revealed between rearing mother ADHD symptoms, hostile parenting behavior, and child ADHD symptoms in both samples. Because both samples consisted of genetically unrelated mothers and children, passive rGE was removed as a possible explanatory factor underlying these associations. Further, path analysis revealed evidence for evocative rGE processes in the longitudinal adoption-at-birth study (EGDS) from biologically related maternal ADHD symptoms to biologically unrelated maternal hostile parenting through early disrupted child behavior (impulsivity/activation), with maternal hostile parenting and disrupted child behavior associated with later child ADHD symptoms, controlling for concurrent adoptive mother ADHD symptoms. Results highlight the importance of genetically influenced child ADHD-related temperamental attributes on genetically unrelated maternal hostility that in turn links to later child ADHD symptoms. Implications for intervention programs focusing on early family processes and the precursors of child ADHD symptoms are discussed.

Possible Selves and Prenatal Father Involvement

Research increasingly indicates that father involvement during pregnancy influences outcomes for mothers, fathers, and children. However, little is known about what factors are associated with prenatal involvement. Here, the idea of fathers’ possible selves was used to guide an investigation of the importance fathers assign to becoming a parent and mothers’ expectations of father competence, and their individual and interactive associations with father reports of prenatal involvement. Neither variable was associated with prenatal involvement individually, but the interaction term was significant. When mothers viewed fathers as competent parents, fathers were uniformly highly involved. However, when mothers reported low levels of perceived father competence, then the level of prenatal involvement was significantly associated with fathering importance. Findings are discussed in terms of the need for dyadic research as well as their implications for interventions.

Cross-parent reliability in rating ASD markers in infants

Objective: To investigate the congruence and discrepancies between mother and father reports of early autism spectrum disorders (ASD) markers.Methods: Mothers (n = 80) and fathers (n = 78) of 12-month-old infants (55% boys) completed the first year inventory (FYI), an ASD norm-referenced screening questionnaire. Mothers also completed the Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (ITSEA).Results: There were significant and moderate intra-class correlations between mother and father reports for most FYI factors. Fathers’ median FYI social-communication domain score was almost twice that of mothers. Mann–Whitney tests indicated that fathers rated their child significantly higher than mothers on the four FYI social-communication factors and on the sensory processing factor. Linear weighted kappa analyses indicated poor agreement on gaze-related and reactivity FYI items. FYI social-communication and sensory-regulatory factors showed significant correlations with corresponding ITSEA scores.Conclusions: Social-communication markers pose a greater challenge for consistent report across parents than sensory-regulatory markers.

The reliability and validity of the Diabetes Family Responsibility Questionnaire, in a sample of Swedish children with Type 1 diabetes and their parents

Study background: The Diabetes Family Responsibility Questionnaire (DFRQ) is a self-report questionnaire developed to measure family sharing of responsibility for diabetes treatment tasks. The Swedish version of the DFRQ is currently being used in an ongoing family intervention study at The Queen Silvia Children´s hospital. Testing the reliability and validity of the instrument in a Swedish population is an important work in raising the quality of its contribution to research. Aim: The overall aim of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of the DFRQ in a Swedish sample of children, mothers and fathers. A second aim was to bring fathers into the sample and to evaluate whether there are any differences in how mothers and fathers perceive family sharing of responsibility for diabetes treatment tasks. Methods: 159 inhouse patients, 8-18 years, from two diabetes centres, and their parents, participated in the study. The DFRQ was administered by postal mail to the families. Internal consistency of the scale was measured with Cronbach’s alpha and its concurrent validity was evaluated using bivariate correlations. Independent t -tests were performed to test for differences between mother- and father reports. The study was reviewed and approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board. Results: The Diabetes Family Responsibility Questionnaire exceeded the criteria for satisfactory internal consistency for the child-, mother- and father reports with a-values ranging from .87 to .90. Furthermore, children and parents reported that the child assumed greater responsibility for diabetes management tasks with increasing age, thus confirming concurrent validity of the instrument. Conclusion: In summary the study concludes that the Swedish version of the DFRQ can be utilized as a valuable tool both in a research setting and in clinical practice.

Reciprocity Among Maternal Distress, Child Behavior, and Parenting: Transactional Processes and Early Childhood Risk

Transactional theories support that parent-child processes are best studied in conjunction with one another, addressing their reciprocal influence and change across time. This study tested a longitudinal, autoregressive model exploring bidirectional relations among maternal symptomatology, child internalizing/externalizing symptoms, and maternal sensitivity during the preschool period (child ages 3 to 5 years), comparing relations among families of typically developing children and children with developmental risk. This study included 250 families, 110 of which had a child with early developmental delay. Analyses utilized data from maternal report, father report, and observational methods. The results indicated significant stability in maternal symptomatology, child internalizing/externalizing symptoms, and maternal sensitivity over time. Support for bidirectional effects between maternal symptomatology and child internalizing symptoms was found specifically for mothers of children with developmental risk. Maternal symptomatology was found to mediate the influence of child internalizing and externalizing symptoms on maternal sensitivity. The findings underscore critical transactional processes within families of children with early developmental risk that connect increased maternal symptomatology to emerging child internalizing symptoms during the preschool period.

Wrestling Proteus: Assessing the Varying Nature of Father Involvement Across Contexts

This study investigated the common assumption that measures of father involvement are invariant across child age, gender, and reporter. Measurement invariance was tested with 320 families who were interviewed at child ages 10, 12, and 14. Criterion validity was also examined, using observational, survey, and physiologic measures with factor rotation type considered. It was found that invariance did not hold across gender for child report but did hold for mother and father reports. Differing factors were found across time and reporter. Child report and orthogonally rotated solutions demonstrated the greatest criterion validity. The findings suggest that typical father involvement assumptions may not hold and, when this is the case, involvement should be conceptualized in light of varying involvement domains. Implications for conceptualizing and analytically examining father involvement are considered.

Personality types in childhood: Relations to latent trajectory classes of problem behavior and overreactive parenting across the transition into adolescence.

This study investigated relations among children's personality types, trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems, and overreactive parenting across 6 years. Latent Class Analysis of the Big 5 personality dimensions (modeled as latent factors, based on mother, father and teacher reports) for 429 children (mean age 8 years at Time 1) replicated the Resilient, Under-, and Overcontroller types. Latent Class Growth Analysis of externalizing and internalizing problems (modeled as latent factors, based on mother and father reports), revealed that Undercontrollers were at greater risk of belonging to a high/decreasing externalizing problem class and a high/stable co-occurring problem class than were Resilients. Overcontrollers were more likely to be in a high/stable internalizing class and less likely to be in the externalizing problem class, but only at low levels of parental overreactivity. Undercontrollers appeared at double risk as they were at risk for high overreactive parenting, which was an independent risk-factor for the elevated problem trajectories. Because childhood personality types were a risk factor for adjustment problems that persisted into adolescence, Under- and Overcontrollers might be considered as a target for early intervention, with a focus on overreactive parenting for Undercontrollers specifically.

The reliability and validity of the revised Diabetes Family Conflict Scale questionnaire, in a sample of Swedish children

The overall aim of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of the revised Diabetes Family Conflict Scale (DFCS), in a Swedish sample of children, mothers and fathers. A second aim was to analyse maternal and paternal effects separately. One hundred and fifty-nine families from two diabetes centres participated in the study. The revised DFCS was administered to children aged 8-18years and their parents. Internal consistency of the scale was measured with Cronbach's alpha, and its concurrent validity was evaluated using bivariate correlations. Independent t-tests were performed to test for differences between mother- and father reports. The revised DFCS total scale exceeded the criteria for satisfactory internal consistency for the child-, mother- and father reports, as did the subscale direct management, with α-values ranging from 0.72 to 0.81. Furthermore, a higher level of reported conflict on the total scale was associated with poorer metabolic control, thus confirming concurrent validity of the instrument. This was true for mother-, father- and child reports. In summary, the study concludes that the revised DFCS can be utilized as a valuable tool both in a research setting and in clinical practice.

Mother's and father's reports on their child's temperament: Does gender matter?

Temperament ratings were obtained from 56 pairs of parents throughout the child's first year to examine similarities and discrepancies in their report. Age, gender, stress, depression, and mother's temperament were considered as factors possibly contributing to differences in the parents’ ratings of their child's temperament.