Mothers’ Perceptions of Barriers,Parenting Alliance,and Adolescent Fathers’ Engagement With their Children*

Abstract: The current study utilized a social exchange perspective to examine relations among 74 adolescent mothers’ perceptions of barriers to father engagement, parenting alliance strength, and nonresident fathers’ engagement in caregiving and nurturing activities with their children. Even after accounting for mothers’ perceptions of barrier strength, mothers who viewed the parenting alliance as strong also perceived fathers as more engaged in caregiving activities. A more complex pattern emerged for mothers’ perceptions of father engagement in nurturing activities, such that relations between barrier strength and fathers’ nurturing depended on the parents’ relationship status and parenting alliance strength. Our findings suggest the importance of helping young parents strengthen their coparenting relationship in order to foster fathers’ engagement with their children.     

Mothers’ Reports of Nonresident Fathers’ Involvement With Their Children: Revisiting the Relationship Between Child Support Payment and Visitation

Nonresident fathers’ financial support and time are both important to children’s well‐being, although the association between these two types of involvement is mixed in the literature. Using the 1994 – 2004 waves of the Current Population Survey‐Child Support Supplement, this article examined the associations between mothers’ reports of child support payments and visitation. The results indicated that about 36% of nonresident fathers did not visit their children at all, and the distribution of visitation was highly skewed. Therefore, zero‐inflated Poisson regression was used, and the results indicated that the amount of child support payments was positively associated with the onset but not the frequency of visitation. Policy and research implications are discussed.     

Perceptions of father involvement patterns in teenage‐mother families: Predictors and links to mothers’ psychological adjustment*

Abstract: Based on adolescent mothers’ reports, longitudinal patterns of involvement of young, unmarried biological fathers (n = 77) in teenage‐mother families using cluster analytic techniques were examined. Approximately one third of fathers maintained high levels of involvement over time, another third demonstrated low involvement at both time points, and the final third started out highly involved at Wave 1 but decreased to low levels of involvement by Wave 2. Multinomial logistic analyses suggest that mothers’ positive relationships with both the father and his family predict a greater likelihood of initiated and sustained high father involvement. In contrast, stronger support from the maternal grandmother is related to decreasing father involvement over time, and coresidence with the grandmother is related to sustained low father involvement. Whereas a decreasing pattern of father involvement was significantly associated with increased maternal parenting stress over time, the patterns of father involvement were unrelated to changes in young mothers’ levels of depressive symptoms and mastery.     

Coparental Identity and Mothers’ Cooperation in Coparental Relationships*

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between divorced mothers’ (N= 196) coparental role identity and their perceptions of how cooperatively they coparent. Data were gathered by questionnaires mailed to mothers who had participated in a court‐mandated divorce education program. Using structural equation modeling, it was determined that mothers’ perceptions of others’ expectations for them to coparent and their own expectations, as well as their commitment to a coparental identity, were positively related to their perceived level of coparenting cooperation. Parent educators and therapists working with mothers should focus on the value of coparenting for mothers and their children; social pressure and legal requirements are less effective motivators.     

Increasing Fathers’ Involvement in Child Care With a Couple‐Focused Intervention During the Transition to Parenthood

Abstract: In this article, we report the results of an evaluation study of a program for couples during the transition to parenthood on father involvement in child care. One‐hundred‐twenty couples were assigned to 1 of the 3 groups: a treatment group that received the Welcome Baby new‐parent, home‐visiting program focused on infant development and health, supplemented with the self‐guided Marriage Moments program focused on strengthening couple relationships; a comparison group that received just the Welcome Baby program; or a control group. The study revealed that the treatment group fathers were more involved in child care than control group fathers, and this finding was replicated in a second evaluation study. Family life educators must be open to the possibility that they may miss a primary intervention target, yet hit a secondary one.     

Low‐Income Rural Mothers’ Perceptions of Parent Confidence: The Role of Family Health Problems and Partner Status*

Abstract: Parenting confidence can be undermined by the presence of frequent or persistent health problems, particularly for people living in rural communities that have limited access to adequate health care. However, little is known about how minor health problems in the family impact parenting. The current study examined single and coresident mothers’ parent confidence in relation to family health problems and parental support in a sample of 303 low‐income, rural mothers with young children from 14 states. Results show that the presence of family health problems was negatively associated with parent confidence. For coresident mothers, there was an indirect relationship through perceived parental support.     

Fathers' Involvement in Child Health Care: Associations with Prenatal Involvement,Parents' Beliefs,and Maternal Gatekeeping

Using data from 182 dual‐earner couples experiencing the transition to parenthood, this study examined associations between prenatal involvement, gender‐role beliefs, and maternal gatekeeping and new fathers' involvement in child health care. Results indicated that prenatal father involvement was associated with fathers' direct engagement in child health care and perceived influence in child health‐related decision making. Fathers also demonstrated greater direct engagement in child health care when mothers held more nontraditional beliefs about gender roles. Moreover, when mothers were more encouraging of fathers' involvement in childrearing, fathers felt more influential in child health‐related decision making, whereas when mothers engaged in greater gate‐closing behavior, fathers with more traditional gender‐role beliefs felt less influential in child health‐related decision making. This study suggests that fathers' prenatal involvement, mothers' beliefs, and maternal gatekeeping may play a role in the development of new fathers' involvement in child health care at the transition to parenthood.     

Coparenting Relationships After Divorce: Variations by Type of Marital Violence and Fathers’ Role Differentiation*

Abstract: Using grounded theory methods, we examined coparenting relationships for 25 divorced mothers who experienced violence during their marriages. How well former husbands were able to differentiate, or keep separate, their parental and spousal roles emerged as central to coparenting dynamics and was partly related to type of marital violence. Linking differentiation to types of martial violence advances our theoretical understanding of variations in coparenting relationships after divorce. Results can be used to more effectively match divorcing parents with appropriate interventions.     

Social Support for Divorced Fathers’ Parenting: Testing a Stress‐Buffering Model*

Abstract: A stress‐buffering hypothesis for parenting was tested in a county‐representative sample of 218 divorced fathers. Social support for parenting (emergency and nonemergency child care, practical support, financial support) was hypothesized to moderate effects of stress (role overload, coparental conflict, and daily hassles) on fathers’ quality parenting. No custody fathers relied more on relatives compared with custodial fathers, who relied more on new partners for parenting support. No differences by custody status were found on levels of support or parenting over time. Parenting support buffered effects of change in role overload and coparenting conflict on coercive parenting and buffered effects of change in daily hassles on prosocial parenting. Buffer effects were more predictive over time. Implications for practice and preventive intervention strategies are discussed.     

Adult Children and Their Fathers: Relationship Changes 20 Years After Parental Divorce*

Adult children's reports of relationship changes with their fathers were examined 20 years after their parents' divorce. Data were drawn from interviews with 173 adult children from the Binuclear Family Study about their perceptions of their parents' divorce and its long‐term impact. Findings indicated that most adult children felt that their relationships with their fathers had either improved or remained stable over time. Custody did not directly affect reported changes in the quality of their relationship with their fathers; however, increased interparental conflict, early father remarriage, and low father involvement in the early postdivorce years were associated with worsening relationships over time. Those who reported that their relationships with their fathers got worse also reported poorer quality relationships with their stepmothers, stepsiblings, and paternal grandparents.     

Paternal Identity,Maternal Gatekeeping,and Father Involvement*

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine whether mothers’ beliefs about the role of the father may contribute to mothers influencing the quantity of father involvement in their children's lives. Participants were 30 two‐parent families with children between the ages of 2 and 3 years. A combination of self‐report and interview data were collected from both mothers and fathers. Results from multiple regression analyses indicated that fathers’ perceived investments in their parental roles and actual levels of paternal involvement are moderated by mothers’ beliefs about the role of the father. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for future research on parenting identity and maternal gatekeeping as well as the development of parenting programs for fathers.     

School‐Related Parental Involvement and Adolescent Academic Achievement: The Role of Community Poverty

Although most current studies have established the importance of school‐related parental involvement to adolescents' academic achievement, they are limited in that they do not address macrolevel community influences on such an association. This may be due in part to the lack of community‐level data or the use of inappropriate statistical strategies that cannot account for the influence of factors at the community level. To address this limitation, in this study, the authors examined the influence of community poverty on the association between school‐related parental involvement and adolescents' academic achievement. Using a large, nationally representative sample, results from a multilevel model suggested that, compared to adolescents living in more affluent communities, the positive effect of school‐related parental involvement on adolescents' academic achievement was significantly weaker for adolescents living in poor communities. Such findings suggested the importance of community poverty in influencing the effectiveness of school‐related parental involvement on adolescents' academic achievement.     

Mothers’ Racial,Ethnic, and Cultural Socialization of Transracially Adopted Asian Children*

Abstract: This study examined maternal and child predictors of White mothers’ cultural socialization/pluralism and preparation for bias of Chinese and Korean adopted children in families participating in the Northeast‐Northwest Collaborative Adoption Project. Mother’s psychological connection to Asian Americans, but not White identity, and children’s age predicted cultural socialization/pluralism and preparation for bias. Birth country was related to cultural socialization/pluralism but not preparation for bias. Cultural socialization/pluralism was related to fewer externalizing problems but not to internalizing problems. Preparation for bias was not related to behavioral problems. The implications of these findings are summarized in terms of interventions aimed at increasing mothers’ connections to Asian American communities or individuals, providing Korean cultural information to parents of Korean adoptees, and the timing of interventions.     

Father involvement: the importance of paternal Solo Care

Paternal time spent caring for children alone is qualitatively different from time together mediated by the presence of the mother and may be particularly relevant to father–child relations. Many fathers spend minimal time alone with their children. Indeed, it is still commonly referred to as ‘babysitting’. We explored the concept of Solo Care as a conceptually discrete dimension of father involvement. Fathers and mothers in families (n = 110) with children aged 3–12 years provided qualitative and quantitative data separately in a structured interview. Several variables were considered as potential correlates of Solo Care, with parental occupation and hours of work, perceived maternal support, perceived barriers and paternal efficacy and satisfaction proving significant. Themes describing fathering satisfaction included father–child bond, pleasure in watching children grow and father–child interaction. Important benefits of Solo Care were relationship‐focused along with the opportunity to demonstrate equal competence and fathers’ differences from mothers.     

Parental Role Identity and Fathers' Involvement in Coparental Interaction After Divorce: Fathers' Perspectives*

The current study was designed to test a family systems‐based model of fathers' involvement in coparental interaction during the first year postdivorce (n = 62 fathers ). A multiple regression strategy was employed to test the proposed model. Support from the former spouse and fathers' satisfaction with their own parenting performance emerged as significant predictors of coparental interaction. Secondary moderation analyses were conducted to investigate the role that legal custody status played in the proposed model.     

The Relationship Between Adolescent and Young Fathers’ Capital and Marital Plans of Couples Expecting a Baby*

Abstract: We examined the relationship between fathers’ human, social, and financial capital and future marital plans among 176 pregnant adolescent mothers and the fathers of their babies. Fathers’ social capital proved to be the most significant resource in relation to marital plans. Mothers and fathers were significantly more likely to plan to marry when the father was involved in the pregnancy and when there was less couple conflict. Couples were more likely to agree about marriage when the mother and father agree that the father was involved in these aspects of parenting and when the couple agrees about high level of parenting alliance. Healthy Marriage initiatives should target young fathers’ social capital as well as plans for marriage.     

Neighborhood Disorder and Paternal Involvement of Nonresident and Resident Fathers

Using data of 775 nonresident father families and 1,407 resident father families from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study examined whether neighborhood disorder was associated with fathers' supportive involvement in child care. Bivariate analysis indicated that mothers and children of nonresident father families were more likely to live in disordered neighborhoods than those of resident father families. Multivariate analysis indicated that neighborhood disorder was negatively associated with nonresident fathers' involvement in child care, but not with that of resident fathers. In addition, relationship quality between the father and mother, father or mother married to or cohabiting with another person, fathers' income and alcohol dependence, and child health status were associated with nonresident or resident fathers' involvement. Policy and practice implications of the findings are discussed.     

Association between Fathers’ and Mothers’ Parenting Styles and the Risk of Overweight/Obesity among Adolescents in San José Province,Costa Rica

Parenting styles are a risk factor for adolescents overweight/obesity worldwide, but this association is not well understood in the context of Latin America. This study examines the association between the parenting styles of mothers and fathers and the risk of overweight/obesity among Costa Rican adolescents. Data are cross-sectional from a sample of adolescents (13–18 years old) enrolled in ten urban and eight rural schools (n = 18) in the province of San José, Costa Rica, in 2017. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the likelihood of adolescents being overweight according to the mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles. A significant association was found between the risk of adolescent overweight/obesity and the paternal authoritarian style only in rural areas (B = 0.622, SE = 0.317, Wald = 3.864, ExpB = 1.863, p = 0.04), and between said risk and the paternal permissive style only in male adolescents (B = 0.901, SE = 0.435, Wald = 4.286, ExpB = 2.461, p = 0.038). For maternal parenting styles, no associations reached significant levels once logistic regression models were adjusted for the fathers’ parenting styles. These findings underscore the importance of further studying the role of fathers’ paternal parenting styles on Latin American adolescent weight outcomes. Expanding our understanding of the parenting styles of fathers has important implications for the design and implementation of culturally- and gender-appropriate family interventions.