(In)visible men. Emerging research on low-income, unmarried, and minority fathers

The author aims to help make low-income, unmarried, and minority fathers more visible by reviewing the emerging literature base on this population and addressing important conceptual, methodological, and policy issues. Recent evidence is reviewed concerning patterns of fatherhood, factors that support or prohibit fathers' active involvement with their children, and the impact of paternal involvement on children's development. To move the field forward, advances are needed in methodology (increased use of father reports, multiple methods, and longitudinal studies), measurement (greater diversity and depth, multiple reporters), and theoretical and conceptual definitions (family systems perspectives, new and inclusive definitions of fatherhood). In particular, a multidisciplinary and contextualized perspective is an imperative aid to significantly increase understanding of the lives and impact of low-income, unmarried, and minority fathers.     

Making Daddies into Fathers: Community-based Fatherhood Programs and the Construction of Masculinities for Low-income African American Men

In this analysis, we explore how low-income African American fathers build understandings of successful manhood in the context of community-based responsible fatherhood programs. Drawing on life history interviews with 75 men in Illinois and Indiana, we explore men’s attempts to fulfill normative expectations of fatherhood while living in communities with limited resources. We examine the efforts of community-based fatherhood programs to shape alternative African American masculinities through facilitation of personal turning points and “breaks with the past,” use of social support and institutional interventions, and the reframing of provision as a priority of successful fatherhood. We refer to Connell’s hegemonic masculinity framework (Connell in Masculinities, Polity Press, Cambridge, 1995) and discuss how both men and programs borrow from hegemonic and street masculinities to develop alternative approaches to paternal involvement for marginalized men.     

The Inclusion of Fathers In Family Therapy: A Research Based Perspective

This paper summarizes the results of research on the role of fathers in families and family therapy with particular reference to preparation for fatherhood, father involvement in family life as a protective factor, fathers' deviant behaviour as a risk factor, fathers' communication and coping styles, fatherhood and different types of marriages, and the effects of the workplace on fathers' behaviour within the family. Available research suggests that, with respect to problem formation, the behaviour of fathers may serve as either a risk factor or as a protective factor. With respect to problem resolution, fathers may be a powerful therapeutic resource or seriously compromise effectiveness of family therapy. The implications of research for clinical practice are discussed.     

The effect of children's sleeping arrangements (communal vs. familial) on fatherhood among men in an Israeli kibbutz

The author examined the effect of children's sleeping arrangements (communal vs. familial) on the extent of fathers' involvement in their children's lives and their level of satisfaction from fatherhood. Questionnaires assessing those aspects of fatherhood were administered to 40 fathers living in a kibbutz. Results indicated that the fathers of children sleeping at home were more involved with their children's lives and showed higher levels of satisfaction from fatherhood. Preference for a communal sleeping arrangement for children was expressed among 7 men, all of whom were older than 50 years. These results are discussed in the context of culturally changing concepts of paternal roles in the family and socioeconomic transition in the kibbutz.     

Adolescent Fathers Who Are Incarcerated Juvenile Offenders: Explanatory Study of the Co-Occurrence of Two Problem Behaviors

We identify explanatory risk variables associated with the co-occurrence of two problem behaviors: juvenile offending and adolescent fatherhood. Data were gathered from a 5-year prospective, longitudinal study of 531 incarcerated juvenile offenders as they transitioned from youth correction facilities back into the community. Of the total sample, 125 (28.3%) of the male participants reported fatherhood before their 20th birthday. Six risk variables were predictive of adolescent fatherhood in this sample: (a) gang member, (b) resided with non-biological parent as primary caretaker, (c) low SES, (d) child of parent with alcoholism, (e) low mother education, and (f) family member convicted of a felony. These variables were then placed in individual, family, and social domains. Cumulative probabilities identified family related variables as the primary domain contributing to the predictive multivariate model. These results provide support for the development of prevention and interventions strategies focused across multiple ecological contexts, focusing specifically on the family unit.     

Dynamic and Static Work-Family Relationships

This study investigated the linkages between work and family of 281 dual-employed couples. First, we developed a theoretical framework, distinguishing between the causal direction and the sign of the relationship between work and family. We classified the social and psychological mechanisms that explain specific directions and signs of work–family relationships and reviewed the empirical literature from the point of view of this framework. We then provided an illustration of how this framework can be used to generate a model for a specific sample. We generated a model and corresponding hypotheses for a sample of dual-employed couples in which the male′s career was dominant and analyzed these hypotheses by testing males and females separately using LISREL 7. In our sample, the relationship between work and family was reciprocal for males, suggesting a dynamic system in which males were able to adjust one domain to compensate for the other. Females exhibited a unidirectional relationship from family to work involvement, suggesting a static system. For both males and females, the family → work involvement relationship was negative as hypothesized. For males, the work → family relationship was positive. There were some similarities and some differences in the influence of exogenous constructs in the models for males and females. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of understanding dynamic versus static models of work and family relationships and the potential role of organizations in helping their employees lower the fixed demands of the family.     

The fathers of Destiny: Representations of fatherhood in a popular South African magazine

This study utilised textual analysis to characterise the representation of fatherhood in the eight issues of Destiny Man magazine published in 2014. Stories that pertained to fatherhood and that were related to aspects of contemporary family construction, work, and identity formation were included for detailed text analysis. Our findings suggest that fatherhood is defined by access to wealth, and is inextricably linked to features of modern-day neoliberal capitalism with its bias towards wealth accumulation and economic standards of identity. Additionally, matters such as race and origin seem to be the primary classification criteria when it comes to self-identification as a father figure. From these data, we conclude that the notion of fatherhood is fluid; it changes continuously depending on the social class position of the incumbent male.     

A Research Framework for Understanding the Practical Impact of Family Involvement in the Juvenile Justice System: The Juvenile Justice Family Involvement Model

Family involvement is recognized as a critical element of service planning for children’s mental health, welfare and education. For the juvenile justice system, however, parents’ roles in this system are complex due to youths’ legal rights, public safety, a process which can legally position parents as plaintiffs, and a historical legacy of blaming parents for youth indiscretions. Three recent national surveys of juvenile justice‐involved parents reveal that the current paradigm elicits feelings of stress, shame and distrust among parents and is likely leading to worse outcomes for youth, families and communities. While research on the impact of family involvement in the justice system is starting to emerge, the field currently has no organizing framework to guide a research agenda, interpret outcomes or translate findings for practitioners. We propose a research framework for family involvement that is informed by a comprehensive review and content analysis of current, published arguments for family involvement in juvenile justice along with a synthesis of family involvement efforts in other child‐serving systems. In this model, family involvement is presented as an ascending, ordinal concept beginning with (1) exclusion, and moving toward climates characterized by (2) information‐giving, (3) information‐eliciting and (4) full, decision‐making partnerships. Specific examples of how courts and facilities might align with these levels are described. Further, the model makes predictions for how involvement will impact outcomes at multiple levels with applications for other child‐serving systems.     

The Effect of Children's Sleeping Arrangements (Communal vs. Familial) on Fatherhood Among Men in an Israeli Kibbutz

Abstract

The author examined the effect of children's sleeping arrangements (communal vs. familial) on the extent of fathers' involvement in their children's lives and their level of satisfaction from fatherhood. Questionnaires assessing those aspects of fatherhood were administered to 40 fathers living in a kibbutz. Results indicated that the fathers of children sleeping at home were more involved with their children's lives and showed higher levels of satisfaction from fatherhood. Preference for a communal sleeping arrangement for children was expressed among 7 men, all of whom were older than 50 years. These results are discussed in the context of culturally changing concepts of paternal roles in the family and socioeconomic transition in the kibbutz.     

母亲守门行为与母亲教养投入、母子依恋的关系及发展性差异

基于家庭系统理论与依恋理论提出了一个母亲守门行为通过母亲教养投入预测母子依恋的间接效应模型, 同时考察了这一模型在青少年发展阶段上的差异。采用问卷法对597个核心家庭的母亲和青少年进行调查, 结果发现：(1)总体上, 母亲开门行为对母亲教养投入和母子依恋均具有正向预测作用, 母亲教养投入对母子依恋具有正向预测作用, 间接效应模型成立; 母亲关门行为对母亲教养投入的预测作用不显著, 对母子依恋具有负向预测作用, 间接效应模型不成立; (2)从发展阶段来看, 母亲开门行为的间接效应模型在三个发展阶段均成立, 且间接效应大小无差异; 母亲关门行为的间接效应模型只在早期和后期成立, 且两发展阶段的作用性质相反, 早期为正向预测作用, 后期为负向预测作用。结果补充和扩展了母亲守门行为的作用效果研究, 并且强调了青少年发展阶段在其中的作用, 对家庭教育实践具有一定的指导意义。     

A developmental-contextual model of couples coping with chronic illness across the adult life span

A developmental-contextual model of couples coping with chronic illness is presented that views chronic illness as affecting the adjustment of both the patient and the spouse such that coping strategies enacted by the patient are examined in relation to those enacted by the spouse, and vice versa. The developmental model emphasizes that dyadic coping may be different at various phases of the life span, changing temporally at different stages of dealing with the illness as well as unfolding daily as spouses interact around dyadic stressors. In addition, couples engaged in dyadic coping are affected by broad sociocultural factors (culture and gender) as well as more proximal contextual factors (quality of the marital relationship and the specific demands of the chronic illness). The model provides a framework for understanding how couples coping with chronic illness may together appraise and cope with illness during adulthood and for determining when spousal involvement is beneficial or harmful to both patient and spousal adjustment. The developmental-contextual model to dyadic appraisal and coping has numerous research implications for the field, and the authors conclude with specific recommendations for future research.     

Treating Parents and Children Together

SUMMARY

In this paper I look at two traditions of psychotherapy with children: family therapy {here considered in its common paradigm of systems theory and not in its diversity of approaches) and individual psychodynamically oriented child therapy. The author examines how, in these two modalities of treatment, the real world of the parent-child relationship, which remains mostly a world of women and children, tends to be left out in practice. Many family therapists “exclude” children from their sessions and concentrate on the marital relationship while child therapists “exclude” parents from the core of the therapeutic process. The issues for therapists and the consequences for adults and children in families in this com-partmentalization of services are examined within a feminist framework. The development which is advocated is for therapists to expose themselves fully to the world of the parent-child relationship as a fust step in reexamining their stereotypical views of motherhood and fatherhood which trap women in conflicted and potentially exploitative situations and do not consider that children actively construct their own relationships.     

Links Between Life Course Trajectories of Family Dysfunction and Anxiety During Middle Childhood

Using data from three waves of a large Canadian data set, we examine the relationship between two middle childhood trajectory variables, family dysfunction and anxiety. We draw upon family systems theory and developmental psychopathology, while attempting to expand their boundaries by capitalizing on the strengths within both approaches. Our data treatment strategy, guided by the life course analytical framework, included separate multivariate logits to examine this relationship, with and without the extent to, which selected explanatory risk variables predicted belonging to the highest family dysfunction trajectory. We also explored possible interactions between anxiety and explanatory risk variables. Supporting our hypothesis, a prolonged duration of high doses of family dysfunction was associated with the most extreme developmental trajectories of anxious behavior during middle childhood for both boys and girls. This relationship prevailed above and beyond the influence of other correlates of family dysfunction such as marital transition, socioeconomic status, family size, and depressive symptoms experienced by the informant (mostly mothers). Specific details regarding the sample, characteristics of measures, and unspecified estimates and their standard errors per data source are available from the first author in the form of tables and figures.     

Why Young Men in South Africa Plan to Become Teenage Fathers: Implications for the Development of Masculinities within Contexts of Poverty

Drawing on in-depth interviews with young fathers (n=37) aged 14 to 20 in impoverished communities in South Africa, this study focuses on the young men who intentionally planned to have children while still teenagers. It interrogates their reasons for doing so, as well as their responses to their impending fatherhood and reactions after the birth of their child. Reasons such as wish-fulfillment, leaving a legacy, wanting to keep a partner, and wanting to be seen as ‘fashionable’ amongst their peers are discussed. An analysis is provided of the relationship between young fatherhood, poverty and masculinities. Key to the discussion are the interrelated notions of ownership and responsibility, and the ways in which impoverished young men find young fatherhood to be a powerful mediator in contexts where alternative pathways to exhibiting dominant masculinities are scarce.     

Family boundary characteristics,work–family conflict and life satisfaction: A moderated mediation model

Although work–family border and boundary theory suggest individuals' boundary characteristics influence their work–family relationship, it is largely unknown how boundary flexibility and permeability mutually influence work–family conflict and subsequent employee outcomes. Moreover, the existing work–family conflict research has been mainly conducted in the United States and other Western countries. To address these gaps in the work–family literature, the present study examines a moderated mediation model regarding how family boundary characteristics may influence individuals' work–family conflict and life satisfaction with a sample of 278 Chinese full‐time employees. Results showed that employees' family flexibility negatively related to their perceived work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW), and both these two relationships were augmented by individuals' family permeability. In addition, WIF mediated the relationship between family flexibility and life satisfaction; the indirect effect of family flexibility on life satisfaction via WIF was stronger for individuals with higher family permeability. The theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.     

Investigating Religion and Inequality through Women's Work-Family Pathways

This project investigates the relationship between religious involvement and women's work and family pathways in the United States. I identify five work-family configurations using National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) data and latent class analysis. These configurations incorporate cohabitation histories, timing of family formation, and maternal employment. Then, I analyze how adolescent religiosity and personal and family characteristics are associated with subsequent work-family pathways. Affiliation with an evangelical Protestant tradition is associated with women who form families early, while Catholic affiliation is tied to later family formation. Importantly, family background characteristics such as living with both biological parents and higher parental education, as well as race/ethnicity and the respondent's educational attainment, are the most consistent variables associated with work-family configurations. These results suggest that religious involvement, when considered alongside family background, contributes to women's unequal work-family pathways in adulthood. The close links between religion, family, and stratification are evident in the study of women's work-family experiences.     

Life structure decisions: Factors related to career-marriage priorities in college youth

The present research conceptualizes life structure, or the pattern of life, as the ordering of priorities among competing alternatives. Intentions to emphasize career, marriage, or both were investigated for college students. Variations in these intentions were seen as resulting from differences in two classes of variables: (a) the perceived consequences of emphasizing the alternative; and (b) perceived normative pressures. A subjective probability model of the relationship between beliefs and behavioral intentions was used as a framework for determining the importance of these factors. The considerations identified as most likely to have a direct impact on life structure dealt primarily with interpersonal relations, particularly marriage and family. In general, the data suggested that the subjective probability model may be useful for further understanding of life structure decisions.     

Is Urban Fathers’ Religion Important for Their Children’s Behavior?

Previous research suggests that many men increase their religious involvement after the birth of a new child. Using data on low-income urban fathers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCW), this study extends this research by examining whether fathers maintain a higher rate of religious participation as children get older and how fathers’ religiosity may influence children’s behavior. Results suggest that although many urban fathers slightly increase their religious involvement after the birth of a child, most fathers attend religious services at a fairly consistent rate during the early years of their child’s life. Although there is only limited evidence suggesting that fathers’ religious involvement directly influences children’s behavior, there is evidence that fathers’ religiosity moderates the influence of other family characteristics on children; parental relationship quality and mothers’ religiosity are associated with fewer problem behaviors among children when fathers believe that religion is important to family life. Results also suggest that having a Black Protestant father is associated with fewer externalizing problem behaviors among young children. Overall, this study suggests that religion may be a source of support that encourages urban fathers to be engaged in their family life and promote positive development among children.     

Fathers: The invisible parent

Viewing the family as a system of interdependent roles has frequently led to the assumption that fathers, in comparison with mothers, play highly restricted roles vis-à-vis their children. Much of the literature on fathers, in point of fact, stresses their absence, their disinterest, and lack of competence in child care. Reported here are findings from a sample of 231 families which suggest that this conception of fatherhood does an injustice to the empirical case. The evidence indicates that when the amount of time available to spend with children is considered, the father's involvement with his children is equal to that of the mother's. Under certain conditions, in fact, father-child involvement exceeds the child-related activities performed by mothers.