Brief
What happens to children when their parent is released from jail or prison? The answers vary. It depends in part, on the quality of the attachment to that parent before and during incarceration.(Adalist-Estrin, 1993) Another factor is the extent of the trauma created by the parent’s offense, arrest, and imprisonment. (Johnston, 1992)
The child’s adjustment to a parent’s parole is also significantly related to the presence and quality of protective factors and support systems that were available during the incarceration period and upon release. (Gaynes, 1994, Johnston, 1993) Finally…
Fathers continue to have an important role in child development, despite the changes in family structure that have occurred in recent years. This book provides a psychoanalytic perspective of fatherhood and concludes that children and their mothers need the care and support of fathers. Written by practitioners and academicians, the chapters apply psychoanalytic theory and discuss clinical considerations about father development, the role of grandfathers, missing fathers, adoptive fathers, and sexual identity development. The effects of loss on children also are addressed. The text explores…
This book explains the development of newborns and offers parenting techniques for calming crying babies. Part 1 discusses why babies cry, what colic is and how to tell if an infant has colic, top five theories of colic and why they aren't right, and the connection between the missing fourth trimester and colic. Part 2 explores techniques for soothing infants and addresses: the calming reflex and how to trigger it by imitating the uterus; instructions for using swaddling, the side/stomach position, shushing, swinging, and sucking techniques; using the cuddle cure; tips for getting a baby to…
This book describes the findings of the latest research on how children develop, as well as promising strategies for improving their lives and prospects. Interspersed in the text are stories from reporters across the United States about people and programs that are making good things happen for children. The book begins by discussing progress that has been made toward each of the four goals outlined in the Carnegie Corporation's report Starting Points: promote responsible fatherhood, ensure good health and protection, guarantee quality child care choices, and mobilize communities to support…
The adoptive father contributes to the development of his adopted child by supporting the adoptive mother as she cares for the child, by promoting attachments within the family, and by helping the child understand the circumstances of the adoption and his or her relationship with the biological parents. This chapter reviews cultural attitudes about the purpose of adoption and the father's role throughout history. The discussion contrasts ancient and cultural attitudes about adoption as a method for achieving status with contemporary perceptions of adoption as a response to the needs and wants…
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Journal Article Although research increasingly focuses on non-resident biological fathers, little attention has been given to the role of other men in children s lives. The authors examine the factors associated with social father presence and their influence on preschoolers development. Findings indicate that the majority of children have a social father and that mother, child, and nonresident biological father characteristics are all related to social father presence. These associations differ depending on whether the social father is the mother s romantic partner or a male relative. The social father s…
Researchers from demography, developmental psychology, sociology, evolutionary psychology, economics, and the public policy field have examined various aspects of the impact of father involvement on child development. This book summarizes the methodology and findings from research within each of these disciplines to provide a multidisciplinary perspective of the subject. Common themes across areas of interest include the definition of fatherhood and the dimensions of the construct; the individual and environmental variables that explain fathering; the impact of father involvement at each…
Recent research has demonstrated the importance of father-child relationships to child development. This chapter reviews the findings about the link between paternal attachment and child development, with a focus on infants. It addresses the ability of fathers to be responsive to their children, the level of interaction between fathers and their infants, and the evolution of father-infant attachments. Studies of paternal sensitivity and responsiveness indicate that most fathers are able to develop attachments with their infants, despite the fact that men spend less time than women with their…
Research about the impact of fathering on child development has prompted questions about the definition of more and less father involvement and the different ways that children are affected by varying levels of involvement. Although there are no definite answers to these questions, this chapter explores issues that should be considered when studying father involvement and its influences on child development. Topics include the identity of fathers (biological or social), the diversity of fathering contexts, conceptualizations of father involvement used by research, and the meanings of more…
This chapter proposes that child social development is influenced by the interaction between the family social system and the peer social system. Fathers have an impact on their children's peer relationships in one of three ways: the characteristics of the father-child relationship; the type of supervision and advice that the father gives to the child; and the father's support of social opportunities for the child to meet and play with peers. Children's peer relationships also can be directly and indirectly affected by their father's marital relationships. Studies have found evidence that…
