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PubMed1988

Services to adolescent fathers.

Until recently, service programs for adolescent fathers have been rare. Such a program for teenage fathers and service characteristics that encourage the involvement of teenage fathers are described. In particular, fathers who did not live with the mothers of their babies had dramatically greater participation in prenatal activities if they used teenage father services. Services to fathers and fathers' participation in prenatal activities also were associated with higher birthweights. Engaging adolescent fathers in pilot fatherhood projects thus has high potential to benefit teenage fathers and mothers and their infants.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

African American fathers in low income, urban families: development, behavior, and home environment of their three-year-old children.

This study examined the relationship between paternal roles, regardless of residence, and the well-being of 175 3-year-old children from low income, African American families. There were no differences in children's cognition, receptive language, behavior, or home environment related to father presence. Fathers (or father figures) were identified in 73% of the families, and 64% participated in an interview and videotaped observation. The relationships between paternal roles (parenting satisfaction, economic support, nurturance during play, child care, and household responsibilities) and children's cognitive skills, receptive language, behavior, and home environment were examined. After controlling for maternal age, education, and parenting satisfaction, there were significant relationships between paternal roles and each index of children's well-being, suggesting that fathers' contributions were unique. Fathers who were satisfied with parenting, contributed financially to the family, and were nurturant during play had children with better cognitive and language competence; fathers who were satisfied with parenting and employed, had children with fewer behavior problems; and when fathers were living with the child, the home was more child-centered. Neither the biological relationship of the father nor the parents' marital status entered into the models. These findings support ecological theories linking paternal involvement with children's well-being and argue for the institution of family-oriented policies that promote positive father involvement.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Interventions with fathers of young children: systematic literature review.

AIM: This paper reports a systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions for fathers with infants or toddlers. BACKGROUND: Nurses and other healthcare professionals work closely with families of infants and young children. This contact provides an opportunity to promote positive parent-child interactions and optimal child development. Previous research has demonstrated that interventions with mothers of infants can be effective in promoting sensitive, responsive parent-child interactions and positive child development. Recent research has indicated that fathers also contribute to child development, but little is known about what types of interventions with fathers are effective in promoting sensitive, responsive father-child interactions. METHODS: Literature from 1983 to 2003 in the Medline, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases was searched to locate intervention studies published in English that included a control group or used a pretest and post-test design; measured an aspect of father-child interaction; analysed father outcomes separately from mother outcomes; had a sample greater than one; and included infants or toddlers. Additional studies were located by cross-checking reference lists. RESULTS: Fourteen papers describing 12 interventions met the inclusion criteria. The interventions included infant massage, observation and modelling of behaviour with infant, kangaroo care, participation with child in a preschool programme, discussion groups, and parent training programmes. CONCLUSION: Although the number of intervention studies is limited, there is evidence that, if interventions involve active participation with or observation of the father's own child, the intervention may be effective in enhancing the father's interactions with the child and a positive perception of the child. There is less information on how interventions influence child development. More research is needed to determine the influence of interventions over time, the differential influence on mothers and fathers, and the optimal dose of intervention required.

Child Development↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Fathers of breastfed infants: postponing and types of involvement.

OBJECTIVE: To examine husbands' experiences of having their wives breastfeed. DESIGN: Qualitative method of grounded theory. SETTING: In-depth interviews by phone at home. PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen middle-class, urban, Canadian fathers of successfully breastfed infants. RESULTS: The fathers reported a disparity in the types of relationships that their children had with each of their parents as a result of breastfeeding. The process that enabled the fathers to accept this perceived difference was labeled postponing. Four fathering styles, which explain the variation in postponing, were found. The phases of postponing include becoming aware of the disparity, simultaneously developing accepting strategies and acknowledging reinforcing factors, and, finally, developing compensating behaviors to increase the fathers' interactions with their infants and promote closer relationships. When weaning occurred, the fathers' relationships with their children changed as the fathers found ways to catch up. CONCLUSIONS: A need exists for realistic education about the realities of breastfeeding for fathers. More outlets for fathers' negative emotions toward breastfeeding need to be found.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Fathers of children with chronic illnesses].

Fathers of children with chronic diseases have been underrepresented in research studies. This paper reviews the literature on coping and psychological adjustment in fathers of chronically ill children. Most of the available studies involving fathers did focus on mothers and therefore did not assess specific father-related research questions. Moreover, current knowledge of fathers of chronically ill children is limited by a number of methodological problems. First, there is a lack of theoretical models. In addition definition and assessment of psychological adjustment is inconsistent. Second, several important potential predictors of father's coping and adjustment have not been investigated hitherto, such as illness appraisals and personality. Third stress and burdens specific to the fathers parenting role haven't been assessed. Due to this limitations it is rather difficult to obtain conclusive evidence on psychosocial issues in fathers with chronically ill children. Future research should regularly involve fathers and assess their specific situation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Fathers of children born to adolescent mothers. Predictors of contact with their children at 2 years.

OBJECTIVE: To examine factors associated with long-term involvement of the fathers of children born to adolescent mothers receiving health care in a teen-tot clinic. DESIGN: Ninety-three first-time adolescent mothers younger than 18 years receiving care in a hospital-based teen-tot clinic participated in standardized structured interviews at 2 weeks and 24 months post partum. Data were obtained on demographic factors, the father's prenatal and delivery involvement, frequency of the father's contact with his child, and his participation in child care and financial support of the child. RESULTS: Factors associated with at least monthly contact between father and child during the first 24 months of the child's life were attending at least one prenatal visit, seeing the newborn in the hospital, and a reported supportive relationship between the young mother's family and the father at the 2-week interview. Age of the father and his education, work, or living arrangement did not predict involvement at 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests an association between a father's active participation in both the prenatal and neonatal periods and later contacts between children of adolescent mothers and their fathers. Since other studies indicate that paternal involvement results in more effective maternal parenting and satisfaction, interventions that encourage fathers' participation in both prenatal and intrapartum care should be developed and rigorously evaluated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Non-resident fathers' relationships with their secondary school age children: determinants and children's mental health outcomes.

Data from 520 British secondary school age children were used to explore determinants of and mental health outcomes (measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) from their non-resident fathers' relationships (child-reported father's involvement and frequency of contact) with them. Frequency of contact was negatively related to time elapsed since parents separated, and was higher if fathers were single than partnered. Compared to White, non-White adolescents reported lower frequency of father's contact but not lower father's involvement. Father's involvement was related positively to mother's involvement and negatively to interparental conflict. As a whole, non-resident father's involvement and frequency of contact did not improve the regression models predicting children's total difficulties or pro-social behaviour. Even after controlling for other factors non-resident father's involvement did not predict child's difficulties or pro-social behaviour, although frequency of contact was negatively associated with child's emotional symptoms. Neither child's ethnicity or gender nor mother's partner status moderated the link between child's mental health outcomes and non-resident father's involvement or frequency of contact.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Influence of fathers' social class on cardiovascular disease in middle-aged men.

BACKGROUND: The independent effect of early life circumstances on adult cardiovascular risk is still unresolved. We assessed the associations of father's social class with cardiovascular risk factors and with risk of ischaemic heart disease and stroke in adult life. METHODS: We did a longitudinal study of cardiovascular disease in 5934 men aged 40-59 years at enrollment. A cross-sectional measurement survey was done between 1978 and 1980 and a follow-up questionnaire was completed in 1992. The main endpoints were non-fatal myocardial infarction and stroke based on general practitioners' reports obtained between screening and 1992 and on recall of physician-diagnosed ischaemic heart disease in the 1992 questionnaire. FINDINGS: Father's social class was strongly associated with social class in adulthood (fathers' occupation was manual for 41.3% of professionals [I] vs 89.1% for unskilled manual workers [V]) and was significantly related to height (non-manual vs manual 175.4 cm [SE 0.2] vs 172.9 cm [0.1], p < 0.0001) and obesity (213 [14.1%] vs 804 [20.1%], p < 0.0001) irrespective of adult social class; no association was found with blood glucose (log, 1.69 [0.005] vs 1.70 [0.003], p = 0.22) or cholesterol (6.34 [0.03] vs 6.29 mmol/L [0.02], p = 0.16. Men whose fathers' social class was manual had significantly higher rates of non-fatal myocardial infarction (342/4006 vs 92/1510) and self-reported physician-diagnosed ischaemic heart disease (686/4006 vs 192/1510) than men whose fathers' social class was non-manual, even after adjustment for adult social class and other established risk factors (relative odds 1.3 [95% Cl 1.0-1.7], p < 0.05 and 1.3 [1.1-1.6], p < 0.01, respectively). The influence of father's social class on non-fatal myocardial infarction and ischaemic heart disease was only seen in men whose adult social class was non-manual. No association was seen between father's social class and non-fatal stroke. INTERPRETATION: Father's social class is strongly associated with adult social class. The higher risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction and self-reported physician-diagnosed ischaemic heart disease seen in men whose father's social class was manual suggests that socioeconomic status early in life has some persisting influence on ischaemic heart disease risk in adult life.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Reproductive history and involvement in pregnancy and childbirth of fathers of babies born to teenage mothers in Stockholm, Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: to describe and compare sexual and reproductive history as well as reactions to the pregnancy and attendance in antenatal care, family classes and childbirth of fathers of babies born to teenage mothers and fathers of babies born to average aged mothers. DESIGN: a descriptive comparative study using a structured questionnaire for data collection. SETTING: eleven postnatal wards at the five obstetric and gynaecological departments in the Stockholm area. PARTICIPANTS: 132 fathers of babies born to primiparous teenage mothers (Group A) and the same number of fathers of babies born to primiparous women aged between 25-29 years (Group B) who were present in the postnatal wards. FINDINGS: 43 of Group A compared to 17% of the Group B fathers had their first intercourse before 15 years of age. This early sexual debut was related to other health hazard, such as use of illicit drugs and cigarette smoking. The majority of the pregnancies in Group A were unplanned but most fathers reacted positively to the pregnancy and participated in the antenatal care. In contrast, only half of these fathers attended family classes. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: fathers of babies born to teenage mothers differed from fathers of babies to older mothers regarding reproductive background as well as involvement during pregnancy. The findings of this study challenge midwives to organise clinical practice in order to meet the specific needs of this group.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Parenting disruptive preschoolers: experiences of mothers and fathers.

This study examined parental functioning and interactions with young children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), with emphasis on differences between mothers and fathers in their responses to their child and in their unique contributions to the prediction of child disruptive behavior. Participants were 53 3- to 6-year olds with ODD who presented for treatment with two parents. Mothers reported more severe disruptive behavior and higher parenting stress than fathers. During parent-child interactions, mothers showed more responsiveness than fathers, even though children were more compliant during interactions with fathers. Regression analyses showed that fathers' parent-related stress was predictive of both mothers' and father's reports of disruptive child behavior; mothers' marital satisfaction was predictive of behavioral observations of child compliance with both mothers and fathers. This study revealed several important differences in the experiences of mothers versus fathers of disruptive children and indicates the importance of including the father in the child's assessment and treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Mothers' and fathers' behaviors toward their 3- to 4-month-old infants in lower, middle, and upper socioeconomic African American families.

African American mothers' and fathers' availability, caregiving, and social behaviors toward their infants in and around their homes were examined. Twenty lower, 21 middle, and 21 upper socioeconomic families and their 3- to 4-month-old infants were observed for 4 3-hr blocks between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on 4 different weekdays. With increasing economic resources, children's exposure to multiple caregivers and nonresident fathers declined. Mothers were more available to infants than fathers were, regardless of socioeconomic status. Mothers fed infants more than fathers did, whereas fathers vocalized more and displayed more affection to infants than mothers did when they were examined in proportion to caregiver presence. Mothers and fathers interacted with male and female infants quite similarly, although, in the upper socioeconomic families, fathers of daughters were more available than fathers of sons. Fathers and mothers in the different socioeconomic groups held, displayed affection to, and soothed their infants differently.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Adolescent mothers' relationship with their children's biological fathers: social support, social strain, and relationship continuity.

Two-hundred and eighteen low-income, minority, adolescent mothers were interviewed during the perinatal period and 3 years later about their social networks, including their relationships with their children's fathers. Few adolescents were involved with fathers at both time points. Relationships with fathers were, in general, less supportive and less problematic over time. Moreover, although father support was not associated with adolescent mothers' psychological adjustment, father absence and father strain had negative associations with psychological adjustment. Maternal grandmother support buffered the negative effects of strain in the adolescents' relationships with biological fathers. Perceptions of less social support from maternal grandmothers and more social support from fathers during the perinatal period as well as less social support from a new male partner at 3 years postpartum predicted relationship continuity between adolescent mothers and fathers at 3 years postpartum. Implications for intervention and policy are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

Speech rates and turn-taking behaviors of children who stutter and their fathers.

Paralinguistic behaviors, including speech rates and turn-taking behaviors, of boys who stutter and boys who do not stutter and their fathers were investigated. Subjects were 11 boys who stutter (mean age = 5:1) and their fathers and 11 age-matched (+/- 3 months) nonstuttering boys (mean age = 5:1) and their fathers. Spontaneous conversational speech was obtained from each father and son during approximately 45 minutes of videotaped free play in a clinic setting. Measures of overall, articulatory, and dyadic speaking rates, interruptions, response time latencies, and disfluency characteristics were derived using the videotapes and computer-assisted analyses of the acoustic signal from each conversational sample. Two-factor repeated measures ANOVAs were performed on each of the paralinguistic variables for the 11 sets of age-matched father-son pairs. Fathers produced faster speaking rates, higher frequencies of interruptions and shorter response time latencies than sons. No significant differences were found in comparisons of the two groups of fathers or of the two groups of children for any of the paralinguistic behaviors. A significant positive correlation was found between the SSI scores of children who stutter and the dyadic speaking rates of these children and their fathers. Results partially extend those of Kelly and Conture (1992) for mothers and children, but some potentially important differences emerge between fathers' and mothers' (para)linguistic behaviors in interaction with their children.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Fathers of children with Down's syndrome versus other types of intellectual disability: perceptions, stress and involvement.

BACKGROUND: The present study examined fathers' perceptions of, stress relating to and involvement with children with Down's syndrome (DS) (n = 30) versus those with other types of intellectual disability (ID) (n = 20). METHODS: Fathers and mothers completed questionnaires about their children's personalities and maladaptive behaviours, their own parenting stress, and the fathers' level of involvement. RESULTS: Both fathers and mothers rated their children with DS as having more positive personality traits and fewer maladaptive behaviours. Possibly because of these positive perceptions, fathers of children with DS also reported less child-related stress, particularly in the areas of acceptability, adaptability and demandingness. The two groups of fathers were very similarly involved in child rearing. The personality, age and maladaptive behaviours of the children related to stress levels in the fathers of children with DS, while maladaptive behaviours, gender and the fathers' education levels related to stress levels in the fathers of children with other types of ID. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the importance of examining parental stress and involvement with children with different types of ID.

Child↗
PubMed2005

A pilot study of smoking and associated behaviors of low-income expectant fathers.

Pregnancy is considered a teachable moment for helping women who smoke to quit, yet few studies have examined smoking behavior of expectant fathers. The present study considers the possibility that pregnancy is a teachable moment for expectant fathers as well and describes smoking and associated behaviors of men during their partner's pregnancy. Participants were 138 low-income men living with their pregnant partners. Using telephone interviews, we found 63% of the men had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. Current smoking was reported by 49.3% of expectant fathers (39.1% daily smoking; 10.2% some days). Expectant fathers' current smoking was associated with having a lower level of education (p<.0001), pregnant partner being a current smoker (p=.0002), higher quantity of alcohol consumption per day of drinking (p=.0003), and absence of smoking prohibitions inside the home (p<.0001). In the past year, 70.1% of the current smokers tried to quit. We found high rates of smoking in low-income expectant fathers, and an expectant father's smoking during his partner's pregnancy was associated with his pregnant partner continuing to smoke. A majority of expectant fathers identified as current smokers tried to quit in the past year or indicated an intention to quit in the near future. Intervention during pregnancy that targets pregnant women and expectant fathers who smoke could lead to more households without tobacco use and thus have positive implications for paternal, maternal, and family health. Further clinical and research attention is needed to address the smoking behaviors of both expectant fathers and their pregnant partners.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Parenting stress of mothers and fathers of young children with cognitive delays in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: This research examined the effects of child and family variables on stress experienced by mothers and fathers of young children with cognitive delays in Vietnam. METHODS: The mothers (n = 106) and fathers (n = 93) whose children (age range = 3-6 years) were identified as having cognitive delays participated in the interview survey. The survey consisted of a set of the standardized questionnaires that were translated into Vietnamese and assessed for the content validity in the Vietnamese context. RESULTS: Mothers experienced more stress than fathers. Path analyses were conducted for mothers and fathers separately. Mothers with female children, those with children of lower intellectual functioning, and those whose husbands had health conditions experienced more stress than the other mothers. Fathers with lower economic status and a smaller social support network were more stressed than the other fathers. Both mothers and fathers were more stressed when they experienced stronger stigma, although the effects were not significant when other variables were considered together in path analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The findings revealed traditional gender roles. Mothers were more affected by the child's characteristics and the spouse's functioning; they anticipated future problems related to the child's functioning more than fathers did. Fathers were more affected by concerns about the family's connection to the wider world such as economic issues and the social support network. Longitudinal studies of how social support and stigma affect families would be valuable.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The father-infant relationship: becoming connected.

PURPOSE: To explore fathers' experiences of developing a relationship with their infants during the infant's first 2 months of life DESIGN: Grounded theory approach SETTING: Fathers' homes or other mutually agreed-upon site PARTICIPANTS: First-time fathers (N = 14), ages 28-44, Caucasian, middle class MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Tape-recorded semistructured interviews to elicit fathers' perceptions of their fathering selves, their infants, and the father-infant relationship. RESULTS: Using constant comparative method for analysis, three major categories were identified as operative in the initial development of the father-infant relationship: (a) making a commitment, (b) becoming connected, and (c) making room for the baby CONCLUSIONS: With an increased understanding of the father-infant relationship, nurses can provide humanistic, thoughtful care to assist fathers in developing this significant relationship.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The needs of fathers parenting children with chronic conditions.

Children with chronic conditions survive for longer periods of time than ever before, thus needing optimal growth and development for themselves, their family members, and the family as a unit. A literature review suggests that these fathers have parenting needs that may differ from fathers of well children. This study identifies and compares these needs. Ninety-nine fathers in a large metropolitan area (48 fathers of children with chronic conditions and 51 fathers of well children) completed the Hymovich Family Perception Inventory anonymously. The results reveal significant differences between the parenting concerns of fathers of children with chronic conditions and fathers of well children in the areas of their children's health and the parenting concerns of their wives. There are indications that professional anticipatory guidance, dissemination of information, and encouragement in the use of fathers' informal support systems are needed by fathers of children with chronic conditions.

Adolescent↗