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Journal Article Children’s early social experiences shape their developing neurological and biological systems for good or for ill, writes Ross Thompson, and the kinds of stressful experiences that are endemic to families living in poverty can alter children’s neurobiology in ways that undermine their health, their social competence, and their ability to succeed in school and in life. For example, when children are born into a world where resources are scarce and violence is a constant possibility, neurobiological changes may make them wary and vigilant, and they are likely to have a hard time controlling…
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Journal Article Objective: This study investigated children of alcoholics' (COAs) exposure to inter-parental conflict before and after their fathers received alcohol treatment and compared exposure levels to a community comparison sample. Method: This study included 67 couples with a treatment-seeking male alcoholic partner and children aged 4-16. The alcoholic fathers and their relationship partners provided data at baseline and at six and twelve month follow-ups. A community comparison sample of 78 couples with children in the target age range completed similar longitudinal assessments. It was hypothesized…
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Journal Article Objectives: Postnatal depression affects approximately 15% of women in Western countries. There are conflicting findings about the effects on fathers as well as the extent to which fathers buffer against the negative effects of depression on children. This study sought to understand the ways in which maternal postnatal depression affects men and their ways of fathering. Design: Narrative interviews were conducted with 14 British fathers (mean age = 33.9 years) whose (ex)partners had experienced at least one episode of postnatal depression. Interviews explored how their partner's depression…
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Journal Article Aims and Objectives: To identify and describe the process of fatherhood during the partner's pregnancy among expectant, first-time fathers. Background: Pregnancy seems to be a demanding period for expectant fathers, and this period is a part of their transition to fatherhood. Blogs can be seen as personal diaries and offer an alternative method of collecting data as they are an arena for sharing experiences and narratives. Design: An explorative qualitative design. Methods: Blogs from the Internet by eleven first-time fathers living in Sweden were included in the study. Qualitative content…
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Journal Article This study examines the relationships among nonresident fathers' financial support, informal instrumental support, mothers' parenting and parenting stress, and their children's behavioral and cognitive development in single-mother families with low income. Informed by stress-coping and social support models, this study estimates the mediating effects of nonresident fathers' financial support on children's outcomes transmitted through mothers' parenting and parenting stress. The analyses use the longitudinal data from a subsample of 679 single mothers in the Fragile Families and Child…
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Journal Article This article discusses working with fathers to prevent child maltreatment and highlights specific interventions to increase father involvement in child protection in the United Kingdom. Strategies for engaging fathers should include using motivational interviewing and group interventions to improve parental attachment. The authors stress the need for culturally appropriate services and individualized assessments. 9 references.
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Journal Article This pilot study reports the preliminary evaluation of an emotion socialization parenting program for fathers of preschool children. The program, Dads Tuning in to Kids (DadsTIK), is a specifically modified version of a universal evidence-based prevention program, Tuning in to Kids (Havighurst & Harley, 2007). DadsTIK teaches fathers emotion coaching parenting skills that have previously been linked to children's social-emotional competence and fewer behavior problems. The 7-session (14 hours total) group program was delivered to 43 fathers who completed pre- and post-program…
