by NICHD Early Child Care Research Network

What makes a father take an active role in caregiving activities? A study shows that fathers were more involved in caregiving when:

• they worked fewer hours than other fathers,
• they were more psychologically well-adjusted,
• mothers worked more hours than other mothers and
• when mothers reported greater marital intimacy.

The study, conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network, also found that fathers who had less traditional child-rearing beliefs, were older, and reported more marital intimacy were more sensitive during play with their children.

In the study, fathers in various locations across the country whose families participated in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care were interviewed about their caregiving responsibilities when their children were 6, 15, 24 and 36 months of age. Some of the fathers were also videotaped as they played with their children at 6 and 36 months.

Two Aspects of Fathers' Parenting Were Assessed

1. The authors examined responsibilities for caregiving activities such as diapering and feeding and
2. Observed sensitivity during father-child interaction, which involved children and fathers playing with toys and other objects while being videotaped.

Results from the caregiving aspect of the study show that fathers increased their engagement in caregiving activities between 6 and 15 months, and they spent more time in caregiving activities with sons than daughters. Neither birth order nor the child's temperament was associated with the father's caregiving responsibilities.

Fathers who were younger, worked fewer hours and whose incomes constituted a smaller percentage of total family income spent more time in caregiving activities. Men who have accepted a child-rearing role in a family tend to spend more time caring for their offspring.

Similarly, fathers with more positive personality attributes such as higher self-esteem, lower levels of depression and hostility, overall better life adaptation and psychological adjustment spent more time caring for their children. That is, fathers who were more psychologically well-adjusted spent more time caring for their children. Also, ranking high on scales of father's spending more time with kids weer those whose wives reported higher levels of marital intimacy. Satisfied wives then, arr good pedictor of a father's willingess to spend more time caring for children.

Employment of Mother

Contrary to what the authors had suspected, it did not appear that the factors associated with fathers' involvement were fundamentally altered by employment of the mother. At the same time, the study finds that "in households where mothers did not work or worked only part-time, fathers were more likely to participate in caregiving activities if they espoused less traditional child-rearing philosophies, whereas in households in which mothers were employed full-time, fathers were involved in caregiving activities regardless of their child-rearing beliefs."

The researchers suspect this finding "suggests that mothers' full-time employment creates demands on family life that necessitate fathers' assuming more caregiving responsibilities regardless of their underlying beliefs."

Many factors obviously influence a father's role in any family system. Studies such as the one above can help families recocognize what psychologists consider important about how a father interacts with young children. Parents then can examine their own patterns of interacting with their children and each other, and thereafter, make decisions concerning how to better care for their children.

Reference:

"Factors Associated With Fathers' Caregiving Activities and Sensitivity With Young Children," NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, Rockville, Maryland; Journal of Family Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 2.

This information received from the American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC.