The current study examined three research questions: (a) Are unmarried at birth fathers' prenatal and birth-related behavioral, attitudinal, and identity adjustments directly related to father engagement in child-related activities during early childhood and father-child closeness in middle childhood and adolescence? (b) Do father engagement in…

We focused on coparenting support, partner relationship quality, and father engagement in families with young children that did not change structurally over 4 years of participation in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study (N = 1,756). There was a significantly stronger and more robust positive association between fathers' perceived…

This study examined whether coparenting support and social support had a stronger effect on father engagement with 3-year-olds among adolescent fathers compared with adult fathers. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 1,540), we found that coparenting support and paternal social support had a significantly stronger…

Father involvement in early childhood programs (ECPs) has increased rapidly during the past 10-15 years. This review of our understanding of the current state of father involvement in ECPs employs two theoretical frameworks: ecological perspective and situated fathering. We draw from the research and practice literature to understand the current…

This study examined the association between fathers' and mothers' risk factors and paternal engagement 1 and 3 years postbirth. Distinguishing between new and persistent risk factors, we tested whether cumulative risk has unique effects on couples where one or both parents are adolescents at birth. Results indicated that although fathers' and…

This article assesses the longitudinal effects of risk and resilience on unmarried nonresident fathers' engagement with children across the first 3 years of their lives. The authors used a subsample of 549 men from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study who were unmarried and noncohabiting at the time of the child's birth. They found not…

This study examined the associations between adolescent mothers' postpartum depressive symptoms and their perceptions of amount of father care giving and satisfaction with father involvement with the baby. The sample included 100 adolescent mothers (ages 13-19; mainly African-American and Latina) whose partners were recruited for a randomized…

The present study examined the association between unmarried fathers' prenatal involvement and fathers' engagement later in the child's life. The study sample consisted of 1,686 fathers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Findings using multiple regressions revealed that fathers' prenatal involvement is significantly and…

Programmatic initiatives for fathers have grown rapidly in early childhood settings during the past decade. This article reviews the research literature on attitudes about father involvement in programs, patterns of father involvement, studies about program development, outcome studies, and correlates of father involvement in programs.…

This study used an ecological framework to examine predictors of paternal involvement in urban Head Start programs among 134 fathers and father figures with preschool-age children. Paternal involvement measures included teacher and father perceptions of participation, as well as amount of time as obtained from daily record sheets. The findings of…

Determinants of fathers' involvement with their children were examined in a study of 60 low-income African American and 25 low-income Puerto Rican men residing with their children in two-parent families. Results show that a combination of sociocultural, psychological, and parenting skill factors influences their involvement with their children.…

This study examined effects of participation in a Head Start-based father involvement intervention program. Findings suggested a positive association between high level participation in the intervention and increased father involvement at post- treatment. Children in the high participation group showed higher mathematics readiness change scores.…

Examined the association between maternal depression, maternal separation anxiety, social support, and maternal involvement in the day-care center among 54 upper-income mothers and their infants. Found that higher levels of maternal involvement in day care were associated with lower levels of maternal depression. (MDM)

Compared the involvement of 28 mothers and their spouses who worked varying distances from their day-care centers. Found that mothers were significantly more involved in the center than fathers, even after statistically controlling for distance to the workplace and occupational status. (TJQ)

Examined play interactions of 33 low-income African American fathers with their preschool-age children in relation to the fathers' psychological characteristics, love for the child's mother, employment status, education, and coresidence with the child. The fathers' self-esteem was the best predictor of play interactions. Coresidence with the child…