Work Hours, Marital Intimacy and Fathers' Self Esteem Important Factors
WASHINGTON -- What makes a father take an active role in caregiving activities? A new study published in the June issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, a journal of the American Psychological Association, shows that fathers were more involved in caregiving when they worked fewer hours than other fathers, mothers worked more hours than other mothers and when mothers reported greater marital intimacy. Fathers were also more active in caregiving when they had high self esteem and other positive psychological adjustment characteristics and when children were boys.
The study, conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network, also found that fathers who had less traditional child-rearing beliefs, were older, and reported more marital intimacy were more sensitive during play with their children.
In the study, fathers in various locations across the country whose families participated in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care were interviewed about their caregiving responsibilities when their children were six, 15, 24 and 36 months of age. Some of the fathers were also videotaped as they played with their children at six and 36 months. Two aspects of fathers' parenting were assessed. The authors examined responsibilities for caregiving activities such as diapering and feeding and observed sensitivity during father-child interaction, which involved children and fathers playing with toys and other objects while being videotaped.
Results from the caregiving aspect of the study show that fathers increased their engagement in caregiving activities between six and 15 months, and they spent more time in caregiving activities with sons than daughters. Neither birth order nor the child's temperament was associated with the father's caregiving responsibilities. Fathers who were younger, worked fewer hours and whose incomes constituted a smaller percentage of total family income spent more time in caregiving activities, along with fathers with more positive personality attributes such as higher self-esteem, lower levels of depression and hostility and overall better life adaptation and psychological adjustment. Also, mothers who reported higher levels of marital intimacy had partners who engaged in more caregiving activities.
In the father sensitivity part of the study, fathers of firstborns appeared more sensitive than were fathers of later borns. Also, older fathers and fathers who endorsed less traditional child-rearing beliefs were rated as more sensitive.
Contrary to what the authors had suspected, it did not appear that the factors associated with fathers' involvement were fundamentally altered by employment of the mother. At the same time, the study finds that "in households where mothers did not work or worked only part-time, fathers were more likely to participate in caregiving activities if they espoused less traditional child-rearing philosophies, whereas in households in which mothers were employed full-time, fathers were involved in caregiving activities regardless of their child-rearing beliefs." The researchers suspect this finding "suggests that mothers' full-time employment creates demands on family life that necessitate fathers' assuming more caregiving responsibilities regardless of their underlying beliefs."
The authors suggest that developing educational programs for new fathers that target their child-rearing beliefs by focusing on their children's needs and capacities might be beneficial.
Article: "Factors Associated With Fathers' Caregiving Activities and Sensitivity With Young Children," NICHD Early child Care Research Network, Rockville, Maryland; Journal of Family Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 2.
Full text of the article is available from the APA Public Affairs Office or after the embargo date at http://www.apa.org/journals/fam.html
The study authors are available for interviews. To set up an interview, please contact Bob Bock of the NICHD Press Office at 301-496-5133 or by email at rb96a@nih.gov
The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 159,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 59 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare.
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Journal of Family Psychology