Children benefit from fathers' involvement

New studies examine men's role in the family

June 16, 2000
Web posted at: 4:05 p.m. EDT (2005 GMT)

In this story: Emotional connection key Fathers taking on greater role RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff reports

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Just in time for Father's Day, new research shows that dads do make a difference in the lives of their children, and examines what factors influence men's involvement with their kids.

Researchers at the University of Maryland determined that children who have fathers in their lives learn better, have higher self-esteem and show fewer signs of depression than children without fathers.

The results shouldn't be surprising, according to one expert.

	VIDEO
CNN's Pat Etheridge explains the findings. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K
	MESSAGE BOARD
What are your views on father involvement in child rearing?
	MORE
Learn more about how children fare with fathers around
	RESOURCES
Read the full study on the factors that influence father involvement

"All you have to do is ask any child, frankly," said James Levine of the Families and Work Institute. "You don't have to ask a child development researcher if fathers make a difference. All kids will tell you that the presence of a father makes a big difference."

The researchers interviewed 855 children in five states. All had been deemed high risk. Those with fathers in their lives scored higher on basic learning skills tests. The findings applied equally to white and minority children.

The study did not address whether a bad father is better than no father at all. And the findings don't necessarily mean that children who grow up in single-parent homes can't be successful.

"A lot of times these children are getting more attention than they would in a two-parent home because the single parent is very conscious of the fact that it's one person doing the entire job, so they rely on teamwork, cooperation," said Brook Noel of Single Parents magazine.

Whatever the family situation, experts stress that a father or father figure should stay emotionally connected with his kids.

"A little is better than nothing," said psychologist Penelope Leach, "and you can be really involved with a child on the basis of the talking and playing and being there emotionally, even if you can't be there physically all the time."

What makes a dad get involved with his child? A separate study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development focused on that question. The study was published in the June issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, a journal of the American Psychological Association.

Researchers found that how much both parents work plays a role in a father's caregiving activities, as does the man's self-esteem. Fathers also tend to be more involved with sons than daughters, according to the study.

The researchers followed hundreds of families from 10 cities across the United States. The fathers were interviewed about their caregiving activities like feeding, bathing and changing diapers when their children were between six months old and 3 years old. Some of the fathers were also videotaped playing with their children at age six months and 3 years, to determine their level of sensitivity toward the child.

The study found that fathers were more involved in caregiving when they worked fewer hours than other fathers, and when the mothers worked more hours outside the home. The finding "suggests that mothers' full-time employment creates demands on family life" that require the father to take on more responsibility regardless of his attitudes toward child rearing.

More involved fathers were also younger and had higher self-esteem and lower levels of depression and hostility. However, the researchers found that older fathers were more sensitive toward their children.

The researchers concluded that workplace policies that allow fathers more flexibility would increase their level of involvement with their children. The authors also suggested developing programs to teach men about their children's needs as a way of increasing their sensitivity.

High court reaffirms parents' rights in child-rearing decisions
June 5, 2000
Workers squeezed by job pressures, family demands
April 15, 1998
Stay-at-home dads -- a growing trend
April 15, 1998
Dr. Spock's baby book will endure
March 16, 1998

American Psychological Association
Families and Work Institute
American Coalition for Fathers and Children
National Fatherhood Initiative
Slowlane.com: the online resource, reference and network for Stay At Home Dads

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.