Abstract
We measure the quality and quantity of fathers’ involvement with adolescent children in intact families over time using longitudinal data from The National Survey of Children. We examine differentials in fathers’ involvement by children’s and family characteristics and model the long-term effects of fathers’ involvement on children’s outcomes in the transition to adulthood. Fathers are more involved with sons than with daughters and they disengage from adolescents with increasing marital conflict. We find beneficial effects for children of father’s involvement in three domains: educational and economic attainment, delinquent behavior, and psychological well-being. The course of affective relations throughout adolescence also has a beneficial effect on delinquent behavior and psychological well-being.
The text of this article is only available as a PDF.
References
Acock, AC., & Demo, D.H. (
1994
). Family Diversity and Well-Being
. Thousand Oaks, CA
: Sage Publications
.Amato, P.R. (
1994
). Father-Child Relations, Mother-Child Relations, and Offspring Psychological Well-Being in Early Adulthood
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 56
, 1031
–42
. 10.2307/353611Amato, P.R., & Booth, A. (
1996
). A Prospective Study of Divorce and Parent-Child Relationships
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 58
, 356
–65
. 10.2307/353501Barnes, G.M., & Farrell, M.P. (
1992
). Parental Support and Control as Predictors of Adolescent Drinking, Delinquency, and Related Problem Behaviors
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 54
, 763
–76
. 10.2307/353159Belsky, J., Youngblade, L., Rovine, M., & Volling, B. (
1991
). Patterns of Marital Change and Parent-Child Interaction
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 53
, 487
–98
. 10.2307/352914Biller, H.B. (
1993
). Fathers and Families: Paternal Factors in Child Development
. Westport, CT
: Auburn House
.Bozett, F.W., & Hanson, S.M.H. (
1991
). Fatherhood and Families in Cultural Context
. New York
: Springer
.Bumpass, L.L. (
1990
). What’s Happening to the Family? Interactions Between Demographic and Institutional Change
. Demography
, 27
, 483
–98
. 10.2307/2061566Conger, R.D., Conger, K.J., Elder, G.H., Lorenz, F.O., Simons, R.L., & Whitbeck, L.B. (
1993
). Family Economic Stress and Adjustment of Early Adolescent Girls
. Developmental Psychology
, 29
, 206
–19
. 10.1037/0012-1649.29.2.206Crockett, L.J., Eggebeen, D.J., & Hawkins, A.J. (
1993
). Fathers’ Presence and Young Children’s Behavioral and Cognitive Adjustment
. Journal of Family Issues
, 14
, 355
–77
. 10.1177/019251393014003002Dornbusch, S.M. (
1989
). The Sociology of Adolescence
. The Annual Review of Sociology
, 15
, 233
–59
. 10.1146/annurev.so.15.080189.001313Dryfoos, J. (
1990
). Adolescents at Risk: Prevalence and Prevention
. New York
: Oxford University Press
.Elder, G.H., Conger, R.D., Foster, E.M., & Ardel, M. (
1992
). Families Under Economic Pressure
. Journal of Family Issues
, 13
, 537
–537
. 10.1177/019251392013001002Emery, R. (
1988
). Marriage, Divorce, and Children s Adjustment
. Newbury Park, CA
: Sage Publications
.Furstenberg, F.F. (
1988
). Good Dads-Bad Dads: The Two Faces of Fatherhood
. In AJ. Cherlin (Ed.), The Changing American Family and Public Policy
(pp. 193
–218
). Washington, DC
: Urban Institute Press
.Furstenberg, F.F., Nord, C.W., Peterson, J.L., & Zill, N. (
1983
). The Life Course of Children and Divorce: Marital Disruption and Parental Conflict
. American Sociological Review
, 48
, 656
–68
. 10.2307/2094925Garfinkel, I., & McLanahan, S. (
1986
). Single Mothers and Their Children: A New American Dilemma
. Washington, DC
: Urban Institute Press
.Hanson, T.L., McLanahan, S.S., & Thomson, E. (
1996
). Double Jeopardy: Parental Conflict and Stepfamily Outcomes for Children
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 58
, 141
–54
. 10.2307/353383Harris, K.M., & Marmer, J. (
1996
). Poverty, Paternal Involvement, and Adolescent Well-Being
. Journal of Family Issues
, 17
, 614
–40
. 10.1177/019251396017005003Harris, K.M., & Morgan, S.P. (
1991
). Fathers, Sons and Daughters: Differential Paternal Involvement in Parenting
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 53
, 531
–44
. 10.2307/352730Hernandez, D.J. (
1993
). Americas Children: Resources From Family, Government, and the Economy
. New York
: Russell Sage
.Jessor, R., & Jessor, S. (
1977
). Problem Behavior and Psychosocial Development: A Longitudinal Study of Youth
. New York
: Academic Press
.Kandel, D. (
1990
). Parenting Styles, Drug Use, and Children’s Adjustment in Families of Young Adults
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 52
, 183
–96
. 10.2307/352849Lamb, M.E. (
1981
). Fathers and Child Development: An Integrated Overview
. In M. Lamb (Ed.), The Role of the Father in Child Development
(pp. 1
–70
). New York
: Wiley
.Lamb, M.E. (
1987
). Introduction: The Emergent American Father
. In M.E. Lamb (Ed.), The Father’s Role: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
(pp. 3
–25
). Hillsdale, NJ
: Erlbaum
.Lamb, M.E. (
1987
). The Father’s Role: Applied Perspectives
. New York
: John Wiley and Sons
.Lamb, M.E., Pleck, J.H., Levine, J.A., & Kazdin, A.E. (
1985
). The Role of the Father in Child Development: The Effects of Increased Paternal Involvement
. In B.B. Lahey (Ed.), Advances in Clinical Child Psychology
(pp. 229
–66
). New York
: Plenum Press
.Maccoby, E.E., & Martin, J.A. (
1983
). Socialization in the Context of the Family: Parent-Child Interaction
. In E.M. Hetherington (Ed.), Handbook of Child Psychology
(pp. 1
–102
). New York
: Wiley
.Marsiglio, W. (
1991
). Paternal Engagement Activities With Minor Children
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 53
, 973
–86
. 10.2307/353001McLoyd, V. (
1990
). The Impact of Economic Hardship on Black Families and Children: Psychological Distress, Parenting, and Socioemotional Development
. Child Development
, 61
, 311
–46
. 10.2307/1131096Mosley, J., & Thomson, E. (
1995
). Fathering Behavior and Child Outcomes: The Role of Race and Poverty
. In W. Marsiglio (Ed.), Fatherhood
(pp. 148
–65
). Newbury Park, CA
: Sage
.Nock, S., & Kingston, P. (
1988
). Time With Children: The Impact of Couples’ Work-Time Commitments
. Social Forces
, 67
, 59
–85
. 10.2307/2579100Peterson, J.L., & Zill, N. (
1986
). Marital Disruption, Parent-Child Relationships, and Behavior Problems in Children
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 48
, 295
–307
. 10.2307/352397Pleck, J.H. (
1987
). American Fathering in Historical Perspective
. In M.S. Kimmel (Ed.), Changing Men: New Directions in Research on Men and Masculinity
(pp. 83
–97
). Newbury Park, CA
: Sage
.Radin, N., Russell, G., & Sagi, A. (
1983
). Increased Father Participation and Child Development Outcomes
. In M. Lamb (Ed.), Fatherhood and Social Policy
(pp. 191
–218
). Hillsdale, NJ
: Lawrence Erlbaum
.Rollins, B.C., Thomas, D.L., & Reiss, I.L. (
1979
). Parental Support, Power, and Control Techniques in the Socialization of Children
. In W.R. Burr, R. Hill, & F.I. Nye (Eds.), Contemporary Theories About the Family
(pp. 317
–64
). Glencoe, NJ
: Free Press
.Rotundo, E.A. (
1985
). American Fatherhood: A Historical Perspective
. American Behavioral Scientist
, 29
, 7
–25
. 10.1177/000276485029001003Simons, R.L., Johnson, C., & Conger, R.D. (
1994
). Harsh Corporal Punishment Versus Quality of Parental Involvement as an Explanation of Adolescent Maladjustment
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 56
, 591
–607
. 10.2307/352870Smith, H.L., & Morgan, S.P. (
1994
). Children’s Closeness to Father as Reported by Mothers, Sons, and Daughters: Evaluating Subjective Assessments With the Rasch Model
. Journal of Family Issues
, 15
, 3
–29
. 10.1177/019251394015001001Steinberg, L.D., & Silverberg, S.B. (
1986
). The Vicissitudes of Autonomy in Early Adolescence
. Child Development
, 57
, 841
–51
. 10.2307/1130361Wenk, D., Hardesty, C.L., Morgan, C.S., & Blair, S.L. (
1994
). The Influence of Parental Involvement on the Well-Being of Sons and Daughters
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 56
, 229
–34
. 10.2307/352718Wilkie, J.R. (
1993
). Changes in U.S. Men’s Attitudes Toward the Family Provider Role, 1972–1989
. Gender and Society
, 7
, 261
–79
. 10.1177/089124393007002007Young, M.H., Miller, B.C., Norton, M.C., & Hill, E.J. (
1995
). The Effect of Parental Supportive Behaviors on Life Satisfaction of Adult Offspring
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 57
, 813
–22
. 10.2307/353934© Population Association of America 1998
1998
Issue Section:
Men's Involvement in Parenting in the United States
