Supplemental Material for Longitudinal Relations Between Coparenting and Father Engagement in Low-Income Residential and Nonresidential Father Families

Extant research highlights the importance of early paternal engagement for children and families. Thus, there is strong support for the exploration of predictors of low-income father engagement. Informed by Belsky’s process model of parenting, this study explores contextual determinants of father–infant engagement (i.e., verbal engagement, physical play, and caregiving) including the unique contributions of the child, the father, and the broader social context. We utilized survey data from a sample of 183 non-residential, cohabitating, and married low-income fathers of infants participating in a home-visiting intervention. Results demonstrated that infant age was associated with increased caregiving and verbal engagement, fathers’ total work hours were negatively correlated with verbal engagement, fathers’ depressive symptoms were linked to increased physical play, and the quality of the coparenting alliance was related to physical play and caregiving. Findings may inform programs designed to promote paternal engagement during infancy.

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Longitudinal Associations Between Early Risk, Father Engagement, and Coparenting and Low-Income Fathers’ Engagement With Children in Middle Childhood

Journal of Family Issues ◽

10.1177/0192513x211033926 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0192513X2110339

Author(s):

Jay Fagan

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Middle Childhood ◽

Low Income ◽

Preschool Age ◽

Family Risk ◽

Father Engagement ◽

Moderation Effect ◽

Longitudinal Associations ◽

Paternal Engagement

The current investigation examined the longitudinal associations among low-income, urban fathers’ risk factors, engagement with children, and coparenting support during early childhood and paternal engagement with children at age 9 years. Using Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data ( N = 2104), the results showed that additive individual and family risk when children were infants and preschool-age negatively predicted father engagement at age 9. Father engagement with toddlers and preschoolers positively predicted later paternal involvement with children, but coparenting support during early childhood did not predict father engagement at age 9. There was one significant moderation effect: fathers who were highly engaged with toddlers reported lower levels of engagement during middle childhood when they experienced a higher level of risk factors at age 5. Implications for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers are discussed.

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Father Involvement in Different Family Systems Across Cultural Communities

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190674687.013.17 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 304-331

Author(s):

Jaipaul L. Roopnarine ◽

Elif Dde Yildirim

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Living Arrangements ◽

Father Involvement ◽

High Income ◽

Childhood Development ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Middle Income ◽

Father Engagement ◽

Union Status ◽

The World

This chapter discusses paternal involvement in diverse living arrangements in high-, middle-, and low-income countries and their implications for childhood development. Men’s ideas about fathering roles and responsibilities are changing noticeably in the high-income countries but at a far slower pace in the rest of the world. This is a major hindrance to engaged fathering. Despite the prevalence of masculine norms in most regions of the world, men display levels of warmth toward children that are comparable to that of mothers, and in a few instances fathers exceed mothers in the display of affection to children. An area in which fathers seem to lag behind mothers is in their engagement in cognitively rich language and numeracy activities with children. This is particularly so in the low- and middle-income countries. Ultimately, the associations between father engagement and childhood outcomes are more consistent for families in high-income than low-income countries, and the associations are sometimes tempered by family union status, the quality of partner relationship, and material resources.

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Latent Profiles of Nonresidential Father Engagement Six Years After Divorce Predict Long-Term Offspring Outcomes

Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology ◽

10.1080/15374416.2013.865193 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 123-136 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Kathryn Lynn Modecki ◽

Melissa J. Hagan ◽

Irwin Sandler ◽

Sharlene A. Wolchik

Keyword(s):

Father Engagement ◽

Nonresidential Father ◽

Latent Profiles

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Child Development Knowledge and Father Engagement: The Mediating Role of Parenting Self-efficacy

Journal of Family Issues ◽

10.1177/0192513x21994628 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0192513X2199462

Author(s):

Lisa A. Connor ◽

Heidi E. Stolz

Keyword(s):

Child Development ◽

Problem Behaviors ◽

Low Income ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Emotional Regulation ◽

Child Outcomes ◽

Father Engagement ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Verbal Stimulation ◽

Child Development Knowledge

Early father engagement is associated with numerous positive child outcomes including cognitive development, emotional regulation, and fewer problem behaviors. Various fathering programs attempt to encourage father engagement through teaching fathers about young children’s development and needs. This study examined 181 low-income fathers’ child development knowledge (self-perceived and objective) as predictors of father engagement (verbal stimulation, caregiving, and physical play) with infants. Additionally, parenting self-efficacy (PSE) was examined as a mediator. Results revealed that fathers’ self-perceived child development knowledge positively predicted engagement with infants (verbal stimulation and caregiving), but objective knowledge did not. PSE did not mediate the relationship between self-perceived knowledge and father engagement. These findings yield important implications for fathering research and interventions, suggesting that it may be particularly beneficial to increase fathers’ confidence in their ability to understand and meet their child’s needs rather than exclusively focusing on improving fathers’ knowledge of child development.

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Low-Income Nonresident Fatherhood: A Literature Review With Implications for Practice and Research

Families in Society The Journal of Contemporary Social Services ◽

10.1177/1044389418767826 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 99 (2) ◽

pp. 110-120 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Emily Higgs ◽

Cristina Gomez-Vidal ◽

Michael J. Austin

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Child Support ◽

Financial Support ◽

Policy Reform ◽

Public Perceptions ◽

Nonresident Fathers ◽

Agency Staff ◽

Father Engagement ◽

Father Presence ◽

Support Policy

The emerging literature on fatherhood is contributing to the reframing of public perceptions of low-income nonresident fathers by focusing on father presence rather than absence. Insights into how and when fathers contribute to their children beyond financial support provides for a strengths-based perspective to engage fathers in services provided for their children. A review of this literature includes practice implications related to the need for: (a) father engagement training for agency staff, (b) father-friendly programs and services, (c) child support policy reform, and (d) more research on the issue of fatherhood in the 21st century.

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A View of the Lexical–Grammatical Link in Young Latinos With Specific Language Impairment Using Language-Specific and Conceptual Measures

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2019_jslhr-l-18-0315 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 (6) ◽

pp. 1775-1786 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lucía I. Méndez ◽

Gabriela Simon-Cereijido

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Language Impairment ◽

Specific Language Impairment ◽

L2 Acquisition ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Specific Language ◽

Vocabulary Skills ◽

In The Beginning ◽

Study Participants ◽

L1 And L2

Purpose This study investigated the nature of the association of lexical–grammatical abilities within and across languages in Latino dual language learners (DLLs) with specific language impairment (SLI) using language-specific and bilingual measures. Method Seventy-four Spanish/English–speaking preschoolers with SLI from preschools serving low-income households participated in the study. Participants had stronger skills in Spanish (first language [L1]) and were in the initial stages of learning English (second language [L2]). The children's lexical, semantic, and grammar abilities were assessed using normative and researcher-developed tools in English and Spanish. Hierarchical linear regressions of cross-sectional data were conducted using measures of sentence repetition tasks, language-specific vocabulary, and conceptual bilingual lexical and semantic abilities in Spanish and English. Results Results indicate that language-specific vocabulary abilities support the development of grammar in L1 and L2 in this population. L1 vocabulary also contributes to L2 grammar above and beyond the contribution of L2 vocabulary skills. However, the cross-linguistic association between vocabulary in L2 and grammar skills in the stronger or more proficient language (L1) is not observed. In addition, conceptual vocabulary significantly supported grammar in L2, whereas bilingual semantic skills supported L1 grammar. Conclusions Our findings reveal that the same language-specific vocabulary abilities drive grammar development in L1 and L2 in DLLs with SLI. In the early stages of L2 acquisition, vocabulary skills in L1 also seem to contribute to grammar skills in L2 in this population. Thus, it is critical to support vocabulary development in both L1 and L2 in DLLs with SLI, particularly in the beginning stages of L2 acquisition. Clinical and educational implications are discussed.

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