DOCUMENT RESUME ED 442 551 PS 028 592 AUTHOR Le Menestrel, Suzanne TITLE What Do Fathers Contribute to Children's Well-Being? Child Trends Research Brief. INSTITUTION Child Trends, Inc., Washington, DC. SPONS AGENCY John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago, IL.; Freddie Mac Foundation, McLean, VA. PUB DATE 1999-00-00 NOTE 5p.; Brief based on literature reviews also prepared by Angela Dungee Greene, Tamara Halle, and Kristin A. Moore. PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Child Rearing; Father Attitudes; Fatherless Family; *Fathers; *Parent Child Relationship; *Parent Influence; *Parent Participation; Parent Role *Outcomes Expectancy IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT As rates of divorce and nonmarital childbearing have increased in recent decades, the percentage of children and fathers who live apart from one another has also increased. Yet our knowledge of how father involvement affects children's well-being in these situations is quite limited, since most research on fathers and children has focused on intact families. This brief summarizes key findings on the relationship between father involvement and child outcomes from that larger body of research, as well as the relatively small group of studies that consider fathers who live apart from their children. Main findings are as follows: (1) children benefit from positive relationships with their fathers; (2) fathers can positively influence their children's development by assuming a significant amount of the child care tasks; (3) a father's parenting style has implications for child well-being; fathers' involvement can affect children's social (4) development, cognitive development, and academic achievement; (5) limited research has been conducted on the relationship between child outcomes and involvement of fathers who do not live with their children; (6) provision of child support is related to children's cognitive development, academic achievement, and behavior; and (7) research findings on the association between frequency of father-child contact and child outcomes are mixed. (Contains 14 endnotes.) (EV) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CA C.--);.A.;5 . . TO THE EDUCATPOINAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 ( U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Otto. of Educational Research and imerernent )UCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20008 This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Phone 202-362-5580 Fax 202-362-5533 www.childtrends.org Minor changes have been made :0 improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stared this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. eing? What Do Fathers Contribute t® C'higcgrens's Wegg- his brief summarizes key research findings on the relationship between father involvement and child outcomes. As rates of divorce and nonmarital childbearing have increased in recent decades, the percentage of children and fathers who live apart from one another has also increased. Yet our knowledge of how father involvement affects children's well-being in these situations is quite limited, since most research on fathers and children has focused on intact fami- lies. This brief summarizes that larger body of research, as well as the relatively small group of studies that consider fathers who live apart from their children. Children benefit from one study, preschool-age children whose positive relationships with fathers were responsible for 40 percent their fathers. or more of the family's child care tasks had higher scores on assessments of cog- nitive development, had more of a sense Warmth, closeness, and nurturance are important aspects of a healthy parent- of mastery over their environments, and exhibited more empathy than those chil- child relationship regardless of whether the parent is a mother or father.' But dren whose fathers were less involved.3 research also suggests that fathers con- Care by fathers may be particularly tribute to their children's healthy devel- influential in the first year of life. opment in ways that are unique from In another study, children who were cared mothers. For example, in one study of for by their father in their first year had young children's cognitive development, higher scores on assessments of cogni- fathers promoted their child's intellectu- tive development than those children al development and social competence who were cared for in child care centers. through physical play, whereas mothers On the other hand, children who were promoted these skills through verbal cared for by their fathers during their expressions and teaching activities.2 second and third years had lower scores Fathers can positively influ- than children in child care centers on ence their children's devel the same child outcomes measures.4 opment by assuming a signif- A father's parenting style icant amount ®f the child has implications for child care tasks. well-being. Several studies have found that when fathers spend more time on child care A warm but firm parenting style benefits children. For example, in one study of tasks, children benefit. For instance, in preschoolers, boys whose fathers offered lower chance of suspension or expulsion praise and compliments performed bet- from school.9 ter on tests of cognitive achievement Limited research has bean than boys whose fathers were cool and conducted on the reiation- aloof.5 In another study, fathers who ship between child outcomes were able to set appropriate limits for and invollvement of fathers children and also give them sufficient who do not live with their automony had sons with higher academ- children. achievement.8 In a later study, ic fathers' use of harsh and inconsistent discipline had a negative effect on their Most research on nonresident fathers sons' emotional adjustment and class- has focused on the provision of formal room behavior, which was related to child support and the frequency of lower school achievement.? father-child contact. Fathers' involvement can Divorce and nonmarital childbearing do affect chilidiren's social not preclude fathers from being actively devellopnRent, cognitive involved in their children's lives. While devellopment, and academic the percentage of children living apart achievement. from their fathers has increased in recent decades, little national-level Higher levels of father involvement in research has been conducted on the role activities with their children, such as that fathers living apart from their chil- eating meals together, going on outings, dren play in their lives, and the relation- and helping with homework, are associ- father nonresident ship between ated with fewer behavior problems, involvement and child outcomes. higher levels of sociability, and a high Provision of child support is level of school performance among chil- related to children's cogni- dren and adolescents.8 tive devellopment, academic achievement, and behavior. In two-parent families, when both fathers and mothers are involved in chil- dren's schooling (by volunteering at Several research studies have document- school and attending school meetings, ed a positive relationship between the parent-teacher conferences, and class provision of child support and the well- events), there is a higher likelihood that being of school-age children, particularly children in first through twelfth grades their cognitive development, academic will get high grades and enjoy school, achievement and behavior.10 However, and a reduced likelihood that a child will there is some evidence that the benefi- repeat a grade. cial effects of child support are greater when the child support agreement is However, father involvement has been reached cooperatively rather than by found to be a more important predictor court order.11 than mother involvement of the likeli- hood of getting high grades. For children Several studies of children living apart in first through twelfth grades living in from their biological fathers find that single-father families, higher father receipt of child support is associated involvement is associated with getting with more positive outcomes for children high grades and enjoying school, and a than other sources of income.12 3 Very few studies have addressed the Child Trends gratefully acknowledges the John relationship between child well-being D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and and the provision of informal child sup- the Freddie Mac Foundation for support of its port (such as giving money directly to research brief series. the mother or purchasing items such as Endnotes clothes, groceries, or diapers). Research findings on the 1. Lamb, M.E., (1997). "The Development of Father-Infant Relation- association between ships." In M. E. Lamb (Ed.), The Role of the Father in Child Develop- ment. (pp. 104-120). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. frequency of father-child' 2. Clarke-Stewart, K. A. (1978). "And Daddy Makes Three: The Father's contact and child outcomes Impact on Mother and Young Child." Child Development. 49, 466-478. are mizeal. 3. Radin, N. (1994). "Primary-Caregiving Fathers in Intact Families." In A. E. Gottfried & A. W. Gottfried (Eds.), Redefining Families: Impli- cations for Children's Development. (pp. 55-97). New York: Plenum. In general, large-scale studies find no 4. Averett, S., Gennetian, L. A., Peters, H. E. (1996). Fathers as relationship between father-child con- Providers of Child Care. Materials for NICHD Conference on Father tact and child outcomes, such as cogni- Involvement. tive development, academic achieve- 5. Radin, N. (1986) "The Influence of Fathers upon Sons and Daughters ment, behavior, and perceptions of and Implications for School Social Work." Social Work in Education, 8, academic competence and self-worth.13 77-91. 6. Feldman, S.S. & Wentzel, K.R. (1990). "Relations Among Family Interaction Patterns, Classroom Self-Restraint and Academic Achieve- Some research suggests that contact ment in Preadolescent Boys." Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, between children and fathers who do not 813-819 live together is associated with fewer 7. Wentzel, K.R. & Feldman, S.S. (1993). "Parental Predictor's of Boys' behavior problems and improved psycho- Self-Restraint and Motivation to Achieve at School: A Longitudinal logical well-being." However, other Study." Journal of Early Adolescence, 14, 268-291. 8. Mosley, J., & Thomson, E. (1995). "Fathering Behavior and Child studies have found that father contact Outcomes: The Role of Race and Poverty." In W. Marsiglio (Ed.), has a detrimental effect on children's Fatherhood : Contemporary Theory, Research and Social Policy. (pp. math scores, delinquency, and behavior 148-165).Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. problems.15 This suggests that frequency 9. Nord, C.W., Brimhall, D., & West, J. (1997). Father's Involvement in of contact may be less important to child Schools. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. well-being than the quality of the father- 10. Graham, J. W., Beller, A. H. & Hernandez, P. M. (1994). "The Deter- minants of Child Support Income." In I. Garfinkel, S. S. McLanahan, & child relationship. P. K. Robins (Eds.), Child Support and Child Well-Being. (pp. 317-333). Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press. This research brief was written by Suzanne Le King, V. (1994). "Nonresident Father Involvement and Child Well- is based on literature Menestrel, Ph.D. It Being." Journal of Family Issues, 15, 78-96. reviews prepared by Angela Dungee Greene, Knox, V. W. & Bane, M. J. (1994). "Child Support and Schooling." In I. M.A., Tamara Halle, Ph.D., Suzanne Le Men- Garfinkel, S. S. McLanahan, & P. K. Robins (Eds.), Child Support and estrel, Ph.D., and Kristin A. Moore, Ph.D. for the Child Well-Being (pp. 285-310). Washington, DC: The Urban Institute National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Press. Department of Education. The views expressed Furstenberg, F. F., Morgan, S. P. & Allison, P.A. (1987). "Paternal Par- are those of Child Trends; no endorsement by ticipation and Children's Well-Being After Marital Dissolution." Ameri- the government should be inferred. can Sociological Review, 52, 695-701. (1996). Nonresident Father Involvement Greene, A., & Moore, K. A. Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan and Child Outcomes Among Young Children in Families on Welfare. research center that studies children and fami- Paper presented at the Conference on Father Involvement, October 10- For additional information on Child lies. 11, Bethesda, MD. Trends, including a complete set of available McLanahan, S.S., Seltzer, J.A., Hanson, T.L., & Thomson, E. (1994). research briefs, please visit our website at "Child Support Enforcement and Child Well-Being: Greater Security or www.childtrends.org. Greater Conflict?" In I. Garfinkel, S. McLanahan, & P.K. Robbins 4 Wallerstein, J. S. & Kelly, J. B. (1980). Surviving the Break-Up: How (Eds.), Child Support and Child Well-Being. (pp.239-254). Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute Press. Children and Parents Cope with Divorce. New York: Basic Books. 11. Argys, L. M., Peters, H. E., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Smith, J. R. (1996). 15. Furstenberg, F. F., Morgan, S. P. & Allison, P.A. (1987). "Paternal Contributions of Absent Fathers to Child Well-Being: The Impact of Participation and Children's Well-Being after Marital Dissolution." Materials for Child Support Dollars and Father-Child Contact. American Sociological Review, 52, 695-701. NICHD conference on father involvement. King V. (1994). "Variation in the Consequences of Nonresident Father 12. Knox, V. W. & Bane, M. J. (1994). "Child Support and Schooling." Involvement for Children's Well-Being." Journal of Marriage and the In I. Garfinkel, S. S. McLanahan, & P. K. Robins (Eds.), Child Support Family, 56, 963-972. and Child Well-Being. (pp. 285-310). Washington, DC: The Urban King. "Nonresident Father Involvement and Child Well-Being." 1994. Institute Press. Graham, J. W., Beller, A. H. & Hernandez, P. M. (1994). "The Determi- nants of Child Support Income." In I. Garfinkel, S. S. McLanahan, & P. K. Robins (Eds.), Child Support and Child Well-Being. (pp. 317-333). Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press. 13. Baydar, N. & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1994). "The Dynamics of Child Sup- port and Its Consequences for Children." In I. Garfinkel, S. S. McLana- han, P. K. Robins, (Eds.), Child Support and Child Well-Being. (pp. 257-279). Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press. Furstenberg, "Paternal Participation and Children's Well-Being after Marital Dissolution." 1987. King, "Nonresident Father Involvement and Child Well-Being." 1994. McLanahan. "Child Support Enforcement and Child Well-Being: Greater Security or Greater Conflict?" 1994. 14. Peterson, J., & Zill, N. (1986). "Marital Disruption and Behavior Problems in Children." Journal of Marriage and Family, 48, 295-307. Dci 'uoi.6uNsom s000g Da `thol2u!lisiVi 00T @W .'S 'MN `anuanylm!pauu03 T08T7 L68 L '01\111w-19d GPM 30V1SOd Sn IldONdNON 5 U.S. Department of Education ERIC Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) National Library of Education (NLE) Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) NOTICE Reproduction Basis This document is covered by a signed "Reproduction Release (Blanket)" form (on file within the ERIC system), encompassing all or classes of documents.from its source organization and, therefore, does not require a "Specific Document" Release form. This document is Federally-funded, or carries its own permission to reproduce, or is otherwise in the public domain and, therefore, may be reproduced by ERIC without a signed Reproduction Release form (either "Specific Document" or "Blanket"). EFF-089 (3/2000) PS 02_8 592