Date of Award

Fall 2001

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Psychology

Committee Director

Michelle L. Kelley

Committee Member

Valerian J. Derlega

Committee Member

Terry L. Dickinson

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.P65 N36 2001

Abstract

The current study was designed to examine several variables that may influence three areas of paternal involvement with young children. Specifically, 75 couples with children between the ages of 1 and 4 completed questionnaires that assessed beliefs and reported fathers' involvement in three areas of childcare described by Lamb, Pleck, Charnov, and Levine ( 1985). Specifically, the three areas of paternal involvement measured were interaction/engagement, accessibility, and responsibility. Based on a review of the literature, the following variables were hypothesized to influence fathers' involvement: gender-role beliefs, paternal competence in the parenting role, marital satisfaction, job stress, work-family conflict, conflict in front of children, and hours worked outside of the home.

Correlational analyses were conducted to examine relationships between the predictor variables, relationships between mothers' and fathers' reports of paternal involvement in the three areas of fathering examined, and between the predictor variables and fathers' involvement in childcare. The pattern of correlations demonstrated that mothers' work hours were significantly associated with both reports of work-family conflict, as well as beliefs regarding fathers' involvement in childcare. Correlations were also found between the predictor variables and the three paternal involvement variables. Most notably, mothers' reports of marital satisfaction were significantly and positively associated with her reports of fathers' involvement in childcare. Conversely, fathers' reports of marital satisfaction were significantly and negatively related to his reports of involvement in childcare.

Regressional analysis supported the correlational findings. Fathers' reports of marital satisfaction significantly and negatively predicted his reports of the degree to which he took direct responsibility for the target child. In addition, reports of beliefs about fathering significantly and positively predicted his reported accessibility to the target child. Further analyses examined the degree to which the predictor variables could predict how much time the father spent as the child's primary caregiver.

These findings suggest interesting and important relationships between parents' beliefs, hours worked, job stress, work-family conflict, marital satisfaction, and displayed conflict in front of the child and paternal involvement in childcare. Interestingly, these variables were able, in part, to predict the quantity of time men care for young children (i.e., in terms of responsibility for and accessibility to the children). However, the study variables did not predict the quality of father-child interaction as reported by either mothers or fathers ( e.g., paternal engagement).

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