Three waves of panel data are used to examine the relationship between child support payments and fathers' contact with their nonmarital children. Cross-lagged effects models are incorporated to identify the direction of causality between these two behaviors. Controlling for the lagged term and a rich set of individual characteristics eliminates the relationship between paying formal support and whether fathers see their children, although a strong reciprocal relationship remains between paying any support (formal or informal) and contact. For the subgroup of fathers who consistently see…
We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to explore how relationship quality among married and unmarried parents around the time of their baby's birth and in the subsequent year is associated with parenting of one-year-old children. We examine two measures of relationship quality (supportiveness and frequency of conflict) and two domains of parenting (positive engagement and spanking) for both mothers and fathers. We find a positive association between relationship quality and parenting among both married and unmarried couples, underscoring previous research on…
This paper examines the impact of substance abuse on family functioning from two perspectives: children as victims of parental drug use and the family's role in preventing children's abuse of drugs and alcohol. The discussion addresses the health effects of parental substance abuse on the family in the form of prenatal exposure, environmental tobacco smoke, and injuries to children when parents are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The financial consequences of smoking and alcohol abuse, marital problems related to substance abuse, social isolation, and risk for domestic violence…
There has been a growing national emphasis over recent years on increasingfathers' (and particularly, noncustodial fathers') involvement with theirfamilies, an emphasis that focuses on everything from financial supportto emotional nurture. However, it has become apparent that low-incomenoncustodial fathers have been affected very differently by these effortsthan have been wealthier fathers. Many of the recent legislative and policyinitiatives have been directed at augmenting noncustodial fathers' financialsupport of their children. For fathers whose children receive (or havereceived) public…
This interview study is part of a larger evaluation that P/PV is conducting of the Fathers at Work demonstration, which enrolled 1,222 men across the six sites. The full study will assess program outcomes, using surveys administered to all participants at the time of their enrollment and again 12 to 18 months later. In order to gain a more detailed understanding of the participants' lives, P/PV undertook an in-depth interview study of a sample of 37 Fathers at Work participants from three of the six sites. As the men began sharing their stories with P/PV interviewers, it became clear that,…
Millions of children, women and men in the UK today are not derivingbenefit from fathers and fatherhood. Many children grow up with absentor distant fathers; mothers raise children with little emotional, practical andfinancial support from fathers, and men report unfulfilled aspirations to playa more active role in the lives of their children. Public policy could be verymuch more effective in harnessing fatherhood for private and public good.This book sets out why and how public policy could play a more effectiverole in enabling children, women and men to get more from fatherhood.Fatherhood…
Sponsored by a grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation, the goals of the one-day event were to invite professionals working in corrections and in the fatherhood field to gather to (1) identify barriers that fathers encounter as they reenter their families, neighborhoods and communities; and (2) propose organizational and community strategies that may be implemented to promote fathers' successful transition and reduce recidivism. This Final Report includes highlights of the day and recommendations for future action. (Author abstract modified)
As part of a process of identifying attitudes and opinions, Fathers, Inc. held three focus groups of adolescents involved in a dropout prevention program to assist in understanding the attitudes of teenagers with regards to fatherhood. This report discusses findings from the focus groups and offers programmatic suggestions drawn from the findings. Focus group 1 consisted of males, ages 15-20 years, of African heritage and multiracial. Although the majority was being raised in single parent households, some were living with a mother and stepfather, and one was living with an aunt. A little…
A growing body of evidence points to the important benefits of a strong father-child relationship. Among these benefits are higher levels of school performance and increases in healthy behaviors. Children who lack a positive relationship with a father or father-figure demonstrate higher levels of teen pregnancy, increased juvenile delinquency, and lower academic achievement. This link between father-involvement and child-wellbeing elevates the importance of educating and socializing boys to become competent fathers. Therefore, in February 2005, the Minnesota Fathers & Families Network (…
This brief reviews new research in Early Head Start on father involvement. The research finds that fathers are involved, identifies barriers to their involvement, and provides recommendations to surmount those barriers. Findings from a sample of more than 200 participants are cited that indicate 30.4% of nonresident fathers have participated in the Early Head Start program; of those, 9.5% are highly involved with Native Americans having the highest rates of attendance followed by Hispanics. Overall, there was no significant difference in level of involvement by fathers of different races,…
