Presence Of Father Research Articles

Practical Support from Fathers and Grandmothers Is Associated with Lower Levels of Breastfeeding in the UK Millennium Cohort Study.

Mothers face trade-offs between infant care and subsistence/economic activities. In traditional populations, allomothers such as fathers and grandmothers support mothers with young infants, allowing them to reduce labour activities and focus on breastfeeding. Similarly, the positive impact of social support on breastfeeding has been highlighted in developed populations. However, these studies have generally focused on emotional support from fathers, peers and healthcare professionals. Given the availability of formula milk in developed populations, an evolutionary anthropological perspective highlights that practical support, unlike emotional support, may have negative associations with breastfeeding by enabling substitution of maternal care. Other kin, mainly grandmothers, may also be important allomothers influencing maternal breastfeeding levels. Here we explore the associations between different types of social support mothers receive from fathers/grandmothers and breastfeeding in the UK Millennium Cohort Study. We find frequent grandmother contact and father’s parenting involvement are both associated with lower levels of breastfeeding, suggesting a negative relationship between practical support and breastfeeding. In contrast, father presence, potentially capturing emotional support, is associated with greater breastfeeding initiation. Our findings suggest that practical support and emotional support functions differently, and practical support may not encourage breastfeeding in developed populations.

Does father abandonment have consequences for the reproductive strategies of girls? A study in Curaçao

The present research examined the consequences of father abandonment for the reproductive strategies of girls from the Caribbean island of Curacao. The sample consisted of 189 girls with an average age of 19.11 (SD = 2.97). Respondents were categorized in three groups, namely: ‘early father absence’ (abandoned between 0–5 years of age), ‘late father absence’ (abandoned between 6–13 years of age) and ‘father presence’ (father present during childhood). The results showed that compared to ‘late father absence’ girls and ‘father presence’ girls, ‘early father absence’ girls initiated sexual intercourse at a significant younger age. Moreover, they were less interested in getting married and in having grandchildren. These differences could not be explained by differences in educational level of the participants or occupational level of the father and the mother. There were no significant differences between the three groups in the age of menarche, the total number of sexual partners and the desire to have chil...

The Comparison of Loneliness and Social Self-Efficacy among Male Adolescents in Families where the presence of Father is Temporary (for Employment) and Normal Adolescents

The present study aimed to compare the loneliness and social self-efficacy among male adolescents in families where the presence of father was temporary (for employment) and normal adolescents in Shiraz. This was a causal-comparative study. The population consisted of high school students in area one, Shiraz. Using multistage cluster sampling method, 8 schools were selected from 31 boy’s high schools; and 5 classes were selected from each school. In each class, the questionnaire was given to students who were eligible as normal group. Totally, 201 cases were included in normal group. Using convenience sampling, the students that their parents were in work for two weeks, a month, or more were selected as experimental group. The questionnaire was given to 201 cases. The Usher’ loneliness (1984) and Couneley’s social self-efficacy among adolescents (1989) questionnaires were used for collecting the data. The independent t test was used to analyze the data. The results showed that there was a significant difference between loneliness and social self- efficacy of teenagers in two groups. In other words, the loneliness and social self-efficacy of experiment group was more and less, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that the permanent presence of father influenced the level of loneliness sense and social self-efficacy among adolescents.

Perceived and Ideal Body Image in Young Women in South Western Saudi Arabia.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate perceived and ideal body image (BI) and associated factors among female university students in Saudi Arabia. Methods. This cross-sectional study included 663 university female students. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, BMI, and BI perception (the 9-figure silhouette) were obtained. Descriptive and logistic regression analysis were conducted. Results. An agreement between actual, perceived, and ideal BI was found in 23% of the participants. Behavioral (activity levels), social (presence of obese parents and fathers' level of education), and economic factors (households' monthly income, number of cars in the household, and kind of residence) were positively and significantly associated with the desire to be thinner. Similarly, socioeconomic associations (number of sisters and number of cars in the household) correlated positively and significantly with the desire to be heavier. Conclusions. The whole family should rather be considered in interventions related to appearance concerns and BI discrepancies. Furthermore, campaigns targeting improvement of adolescents' physical self-image should be a major priority of the public health sector.

'Real Men' and Anti-Feminism

The important part played by men in the history of British feminism, particularly in the nineteenth-century struggle for women’s rights, has long been recognized. As Olive Banks pointed out some decades ago, a common feature among Victorian feminist activists was the presence of supportive fathers who encouraged their daughters to seek education, and to pursue goals that challenged the limits imposed on them as women.1 Husbands mattered too, often providing support for their feminist wives as they campaigned for reform of the marriage laws, for repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts or for the vote.2 Some of these men, including Jacob Bright and James Stansfeld, carried feminist campaigns into parliament where they worked to gain significant reforms in women’s legal and political status. But the number of men wholeheartedly committed to the emancipation of women was very small and the passage of legislation required the support of many other male MPs whose views on women’s status were often equivocal. Nonetheless, if one is to understand how married British women gained some legal and political rights in the nineteenth century, including limited rights to divorce, to the ownership of property and the custody of children, one needs to address not only the women’s movement that campaigned for these reforms, but also the willingness of sufficient numbers of men to enact the relevant legislation.

Stability of biological father presence as a proxy for family stability: cross-racial associations with the longitudinal development of emotion regulation in toddlerhood.

The current study, utilizing data from the National Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (Love etal., 2005) explored the relationship between biological father presence and emotion regulation over toddlerhood among children from low-income families. Conceptualizing biological father presence as a proxy for family role development, results are interpreted from a role development theoretical perspective. The latent growth curve model was compared based on child ethnoracial status (African American, Caucasian, Hispanic) and child gender. Consistent biological father presence was associated with toddlers' regulatory development across toddlerhood, and this relationship was most robust among Caucasian toddlers as compared to African American toddlers. Findings for Hispanic toddlers were not significantly different from those of Caucasian or African American families. Results bolster the literature on father presence and child outcomes. Analyses address consistency in father presence as a proxy for coherent role development and define a link between consistent father presence and children's regulatory development, demonstrating ethnoracial differences which are likely attributed to the social construction of family roles.

The Correlates of Educated Women’s Labor Force Participation in Pakistan: A Micro-Study

This study attempts to determine the factors that affect educated women’s decision to participate in the labor force. Based on a field survey conducted in the district of Multan, we find that a number of factors have a positive and significant impact on women’s decision to work. These include women who fall in the age groups 35–44 and 45–54, the coefficients of all levels of education, the presence of an educated husband, marital status, family structure, and family expenditure. The presence of an educated father, being an educated married woman, location, distance from the district headquarters, the husband’s employment status and income, and ownership of assets significantly reduces women’s labor force participation. The results of the earnings equation show that variables such as women who live in an urban area and their level of education and experience are associated with a substantial increase in earnings with each additional year. The number of children has a negative and significant impact on women’s earnings. The hours-of-work model shows that age and the number of completed years of education have a positive effect on working hours, while the number of dependents and the number of hours spent on household activities have a negative effect on working hours.

Complex sources of variance in female dominance rank in a nepotistic society

Many mammalian societies are structured by dominance hierarchies, and an individual's position within this hierarchy can influence reproduction, behaviour, physiology and health. In nepotistic hierarchies, which are common in cercopithecine primates and also seen in spotted hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta, adult daughters are expected to rank immediately below their mother, and in reverse age order (a phenomenon known as 'youngest ascendancy'). This pattern is well described, but few studies have systematically examined the frequency or causes of departures from the expected pattern. Using a longitudinal data set from a natural population of yellow baboons, Papio cynocephalus, we measured the influence of maternal kin, paternal kin and group size on female rank positions at two life history milestones, menarche and first live birth. At menarche, most females (73%) ranked adjacent to their family members (i.e. the female held an ordinal rank in consecutive order with other members of her maternal family); however, only 33% of females showed youngest ascendancy within their matriline at menarche. By the time they experienced their first live birth, many females had improved their dominance rank: 78% ranked adjacent to their family members and 49% showed youngest ascendancy within their matriline. The presence of mothers and maternal sisters exerted a powerful influence on rank outcomes. However, the presence of fathers, brothers and paternal siblings did not produce a clear effect on female dominance rank in our analyses, perhaps because females in our data set co-resided with variable numbers and types of paternal and male relatives. Our results also raise the possibility that female body size or competitive ability may influence dominance rank, even in this classically nepotistic species. In total, our analyses reveal that the predictors of dominance rank in nepotistic rank systems are much more complex than previously thought.

Social protection systems in vulnerable families: their importance for the public health.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the effectiveness of the Chilean System of Childhood Welfare in transferring benefits to socially vulnerable families.METHODS A cross-sectional study with a sample of 132 families from the Metropolitan Region, Chile, stratified according to degree of social vulnerability, between September 2011 and January 2012. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers of the studied families in public health facilities or their households. The variables studied were family structure, psychosocial risk in the family context and integrated benefits from the welfare system in families that fulfill the necessary requirements for transfer of benefits. Descriptive statistics to measure location and dispersion were calculated. A binary logistic regression, which accounts for the sample size of the study, was carried out.RESULTS The groups were homogenous regarding family size, the presence of biological father in the household, the number of relatives living in the same dwelling, income generation capacity and the rate of dependency and psychosocial risk (p ≥ 0.05). The transfer of benefits was low in all three groups of the sample (≤ 23.0%). The benefit with the best coverage in the system was the Single Family Subsidy, whose transfer was associated with the size of the family, the presence of relatives in the dwelling, the absence of the father in the household, a high rate of dependency and a high income generation capacity (p ≤ 0.10).CONCLUSIONS The effectiveness of benefit transfer was poor, especially in families that were extremely socially vulnerable. Further explanatory studies of benefit transfers to the vulnerable population, of differing intensity and duration, are required in order to reduce health disparities and inequalities.

Effects of Father Absence on Children’s Academic Performance

Abstract Historically father has been viewed as presented in a variety of different images to describe the script that they have been fulfilling. They have variously been presented as, normal observer, breadwinner, sex role model, and nurturing. The death of parents is one of the most severe trauma that a child can suffer. The loss of parents causes so many problems that a deprived child faces, among those problems the important problem is the effects on academic performance of children. This research study explain how father absence affect the academic performance of children, for this purpose a sample of 45 subjects is selected from population of same socioeconomic status, with no cultural differences. All the subjects were the students of 6 th , 7th, 8 th , 9 th , and 10 th grade. The subjects were selected from three types of families, intact father children, died father children and divorced father children and was kept in three groups as: present father group, died father group and divorced father group. The statistical analysis of the results by applying statistical treatment test with critical region =1.4, and significance level =0.10 show that intact father children show better academic performance than absent father children. The dyed father children and divorcee’s children show the same academic performance which reveals that father presence play a very significant role in the academic performance of children. The implication of the study will be discussed further. Keyword: Academic performance, father presence, and absent father.

Prospective associations between dietary patterns and cognitive performance during adolescence

The aim of the study was to investigate prospective associations between dietary patterns and cognitive performance during adolescence. Participants were sourced from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study that includes 2868 children born between 1989 and 1992 in Perth, Western Australia. When the children were 17years old (2006-2009), cognitive performance was assessed using a computerized cognitive battery of tests (CogState) that included six tasks. Using a food frequency questionnaire administered when the children were 14years old (2003-2006), 'Healthy' and 'Western' dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis. Associations between dietary patterns at 14years of age and cognitive performance at 17years of age were assessed prospectively using multivariate regression models. Dietary and cognitive performance data were available for 602 participants. Following adjustment for the 'Healthy' dietary pattern, total energy intake, maternal education, family income, father's presence in the family, family functioning and gender, we found that a longer reaction time in the detection task (β=.016; 95% CI: 0.004; 0.028; p=.009) and a higher number of total errors in the Groton Maze Learning Test - delayed recall task (β=.060; 95% CI: 0.006; 0.114; p=.029) were significantly associated with higher scores on the 'Western' dietary pattern. The 'Western' dietary pattern was characterized by high intakes of take-away food, red and processed meat, soft drink, fried and refined food. We also found that within the dietary patterns, high intake of fried potato, crisps and red meat had negative associations, while increased fruit and leafy green vegetable intake had positive associations with some aspects of cognitive performance. Higher dietary intake of the 'Western' dietary pattern at age 14 is associated with diminished cognitive performance 3years later, at 17years.

Exposure to Violence Predicting Cortisol Response During Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Understanding Moderating Factors

Previous research on the association between violence and biological stress regulation has been largely cross-sectional, and has also focused on childhood. Using longitudinal data from a low-income, high-risk, predominantly African-American sample (n=266; 57% female), we tested hypotheses about the influence of cumulative exposure to violence during adolescence and early adulthood on cortisol responses in early adulthood. We found that cumulative exposure to violence predicted an attenuated cortisol response. Further, we tested whether sex, mothers' support, or fathers' support moderated the effect of exposure to violence on cortisol responses. We found that the effect of cumulative exposure to violence on cortisol was modified by sex; specifically, males exposed to violence exhibited a more attenuated response pattern. In addition, the effect of cumulative exposure to violence on cortisol was moderated by the presence of fathers' support during adolescence. The findings contribute to a better understanding of how cumulative exposure to violence influences biological outcomes, emphasizing the need to understand sex and parental support as moderators of risk.

Expectant father's attitude towards childbirth: a little attitude makes a big difference in delivery suite.

An expectant father’s support during childbirth is vital to a parturient woman’s emotional well-being. Studies suggested that this type of support enables a woman to feel more comfort during labor by reducing maternal anxiety during childbirth. Materials and Methods: Descriptive study design with convenience sampling was adopted for this study. The data were collected for a period of 2 months (July 1, 2009 to August 30 2009) from 40 expectant fathers of low risk primigravida women not having any complications and waiting for normal vaginal delivery. The study was conducted in a private hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The attitude of expectant fathers was checked by using self-structured attitude scale contains 16 items. Results: The study findings revealed, the expectant fathers were scared about childbirth experience and they perceived it was more painful. The participants agreed that they were the best choice for the mother during delivery (P < 0.0001). The expectant fathers were reported that the mother should acquire the tender loving care provided by their partner during delivery (P < 0.0001), and also the pain relief methods (P < 0.0001) also essential during delivery to have successful perinatal outcome. Conclusion: The results revealed that the presence of expectant father provided more comfort and also shared the opinion about pain as well as suffering that occur during childbirth. These findings were strongly recommended in prenatal counseling to the couples, as an additional support and care which can be implemented during childbirth.

Lakoff's Theory of Moral Reasoning in Presidential Campaign Advertisements, 1952–2012

This study examines the presence and distribution of George Lakoff's Strict Father and Nurturant Parent paradigms of moral reasoning in presidential campaign advertisements between 1952 and 2012. Results show that Republicans outpace Democrats in the general use of moral reasoning and that Republicans are far more likely to use Strict Father language than Democrats. The study found no difference in the use of Strict Father/Nurturant Parent morality throughout history, during times of war and recession, or if the candidate was an incumbent. The Strict Father and Nurturant Parent models of moral reasoning were also evaluated based on their relationship to political issues. Findings reveal that Democrats actively avoid Nurturant Parent reasoning when discussing specific social programs.

A study to promote breast feeding in the Helsinki Metropolitan area in Finland

Objectivethe aim of this study was to assess the impact of providing intensified support for breast feeding during the perinatal period. Designa quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent control group. Settingthree public maternity hospitals (two study, one control) in the Helsinki Metropolitan area in Finland. Participantsa convenience sample of 705 mothers (431 in the intervention group, 274 in the control group). Methods and interventionin this study, families in the intervention group had access to intensified breast feeding support from midpregnancy, whereas those in the control group had access to normal care. Intensified support included lectures and workshops to health professionals, and families in the intervention group had access to more intensive support and counselling for breast feeding and a breast feeding outpatient clinic. Additionally, an internet-based intervention was only used in the intervention group, but not in the control group. Mothers in the control group received normal care from the midwifery and nursing professionals who were to continue their work normally. The data were analysed statistically. Findingsaltogether 705 women participated in the study. In the intervention group (n=431), 76% of the women breast fed exclusively throughout the hospital stay, compared to 66% of the mothers in the control group (n=274). In multivariate analysis, the likelihood of exclusive breast feeding at the time of responding (at hospital discharge or after that at home) was increased by the mother not being treated for an underlying illness or medical problem during pregnancy, being in the intervention group, having normal vaginal childbirth, high breast feeding confidence, positive attitude towards breast feeding, good coping with breast feeding, and 24-hour presence of the infant's father in the ward. Key conclusions and implications for practicethe low exclusive breast feeding rates of newborns could be increased by using intensified breast feeding support. Mothers' health problems during pregnancy can decrease exclusive breast feeding.Mothers with health problems or other than normal childbirth should receive extra breast feeding support, and the presence of fathers in the ward should be encouraged.Intensified breast feeding counselling and support helps mothers to breast feed exclusively. This support should be available in a variety of forms, so that mothers can choose the type of support they need. As breast feeding counselling and support is intensified, more mothers succeed with exclusive breast feeding.

A qualitative study of new fathers’ experiences of care in relation to complicated childbirth

ObjectivesThe objective of the study was to describe new fathers’ experiences with care related to complicated childbirth. MethodsA qualitative approach consisting of individual interviews using a semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions was applied. A purposive sample of eight fathers participated. The interview text was subjected to qualitative thematic content analysis. ResultsAnalysis revealed the following three categories: (1) feeling scared and uncared for during acute situations; (2) appreciating the opportunity to participate in care and becoming a family; and (3) needing continued care. Based on these three categories, a recurring theme was identified: struggling to be recognized by care staff as a partner in the family was revealed. ConclusionAlthough fathers lack support and understanding from care staff, they strive to fulfill their roles as fathers by guarding their families and keeping them together. Caregivers involved in the childbirth process should realize that by acknowledging and encouraging fathers in these roles, they in turn support the entire family unit. Interventions developed for fathers and family care requires further development. Additional research concerning how midwives and critical care nurses (CCNs) view the presence of fathers in the emergency situations that may accompany childbirth is also needed.

‘Creepy,’ ‘freaky,’ and ‘strange’: How the ‘uncanny’ can illuminate the experience of single mothers by choice and lesbian couples who buy ‘dad’

Ethnographic accounts of the kinship practices that emerged in the last few decades with the help of assisted reproductive technologies frequently used the concepts of ‘normalization’ and ‘naturalization’ to explain how ‘pioneers’ of these family forms dealt with their novel experiences. The normalization/naturalization framework, I argue, obscures dimensions of the experiences of single women and lesbian couples who buy ‘donor’ sperm; I use the concepts of ‘the canny,’ ‘the uncanny,’ ‘confabulation,’ and ‘poetic license’ to illuminate these dimensions. Despite, and because of, the fact that these women buy sperm in order to obviate unwanted kin ties with the biological father, the existential status of the sperm and the absent presence of the biological father generate unease. With remarkable frequency, published memoirs of these maverick moms are peppered with synonyms for ‘the uncanny’ – ‘creepy’, ‘freaky’ and ‘strange’. The practices of sexing, naming, clothing, photographing, treating as imaginary correspondents or conversation partners, and purchasing symbolically-related consumer goods and services are used, often with ‘poetic license’, not just to make the strange familiar, but also to accentuate the strangeness of their relationship with the absent presence of the biological father.

The impact of paternity on male–infant association in a primate with low paternity certainty

In multimale groups where females mate promiscuously, male-infant associations have rarely been studied. However, recent studies have shown that males selectively support their offspring during agonistic conflicts with other juveniles and that father's presence accelerates offspring maturation. Furthermore, it was shown that males invest in unrelated infants to enhance future mating success with the infant's mother. Hence, infant care might provide fitness gain for males. Here, we investigate male-infant associations in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), a primate with low paternity certainty as females mate with multiple partners and males ensure paternity less efficiently through mate-guarding. We combined behavioural data with genetic paternity analyses of one cohort of the semi-free-ranging population of Cayo Santiago (Puerto Rico) and recorded affiliative and aggressive interactions between focal subjects and adult males from birth to sexual maturation (0-4years) of focal subjects. Our results revealed that 9.6% of all interactions of focal subjects involved an adult male and 94% of all male-infant interactions were affiliative, indicating the rareness of male-infant aggression. Second and most interestingly, sires were more likely to affiliate with their offspring than nonsires with unrelated infants. This preference was independent of mother's proximity and emphasized during early infancy. Male-infant affiliation rose with infant age and was pronounced between adult males and male rather than female focal subjects. Overall, our results suggest that male-infant affiliation is also an important component in structuring primate societies and affiliation directed towards own offspring presumably represent low-cost paternal care.

Parent-Infant Psychotherapy and Postpartum Depression: The Fathers Participation

Given the specificities of postpartum maternal depression, the literature recommends that fathers become involved in psychological interventions within this context. This study presents an investigation of the participation of fathers in parent-infant psychotherapy in the context of maternal postpartum depression. Two families participated in this study, both with a child aged between 7 and 8 months old, whose mothers showed depressive symptoms. These families participated in parent-infant psychotherapy lasting approximately 12 sessions. Analysis of the fathers’ participation in psychotherapy showed that their presence during sessions enables the therapy to address aspects of parenthood, and also reduce the feeling of mothers as being the only ones responsible for the family’s process of change. In regard to the technique, the presence of fathers during sessions allows the therapist to see and address the issues concerning mother-father-infant during sessions.

Human capital formation within families: a study in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka

The aim of this paper is to uncover the role of family in human capital formation through education, so as to draw important policy implications for poverty reduction. The study used both descriptive statistics and Binary Logistic Analysis to examine the influence of different family factors on the education level of children. The study is based on primary data collected from three villages of the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. The study found that four family factors- namely, family assets, presence of senior siblings, presence of junior siblings and father’s age, had been significant in determining the children’s education level thereby forming a family role model. The two factors, family assets and presence of senior siblings, had a positive relationship with children’s education level, while the other two had an inverse relationship. Further, it was found that gender, living area of the family were not significant factors to be included in the model. Finally, the model developed by the study is useful in the public policy decisions on human capital formation through education, which uses the family as the bottom level basis for reducing poverty. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljss.v33i1-2.5458 Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences 2010/2011 33/34 (1 & 2) 47-58