July 31, 2009
CONTACT:
Liam O’Donoghue, 415-901-0111 or lodonoghue@fenton.com
Eric Antebi, 415-901-0111 or eantebi@fenton.com
NEW STUDY MEASURES BENEFITS OF
MORE INVOLVED FATHERS
Children face greater risk when agencies focus only on moms, overlook dads
Children face greater risk when agencies focus only on moms, overlook dads
Family service agencies are missing huge opportunities to help children by focusing only on mothers and ignoring fathers, according to a groundbreaking study by some of the nation’s top family and child development researchers.
The scientific study, which is being published today in the Journal of Marriage and the Family, found that when mothers and fathers enrolled together in 16-week sessions to work on their relationships as parents and partners, their children were much less likely to show signs of depression, anxiety and hyperactivity.
“The vast majority of family services — from parenting classes to home visits — are really aimed at mothers, while fathers are almost completely overlooked,” explained Dr. Kyle Pruett, clinical professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and a co-author of the study. “The research is clear that the best way to create a healthy environment for children is to engage dads and moms together.”
An executive summary of the research and the full research paper are available at:
http://www.supportingfatherinvolvement.org/
According to the most recent census statistics, one in three children grow up without fathers. For low-income families, that percentage is even greater. Previous research has found that kids with absent fathers are more likely to suffer from psychological problems, drug addiction or incarceration in their lifetime. The new study is especially relevant at a time when President Obama is calling on fathers to take more responsibility and when economic distress is expected to put more pressure on young fathers and their families.
The Supporting Father Involvement study represents the first randomized, controlled clinical trial focused on encouraging father involvement in low- and middle-income families. It looked specifically at what happens when family resource agencies actively encourage fathers to become more involved in parenting their young children and when those agencies offer programs that help fathers foster positive relationship and parenting styles.
The study compared father-only and father-mother interventions with each other, and against a control group, and evaluated the impacts on parents and children. Highlights from the research include:
•
The behavioral and psychological involvement of fathers significantly
increased when fathers were given the tools to be more effective
parents alone or with the mothers.
• Parenting stress decreased when fathers and mothers participated in the groups together.
• While distress in couple relationships grew predictably in both the control and fathers-only groups, when fathers and mothers went through the groups together, the quality of their relationships as couples remained stable for more than a year after the groups ended.
• Children of fathers who went through the program alone or with the mothers were much less aggressive, hyperactive, depressed or socially withdrawn than children of fathers in the control group.
• Parenting stress decreased when fathers and mothers participated in the groups together.
• While distress in couple relationships grew predictably in both the control and fathers-only groups, when fathers and mothers went through the groups together, the quality of their relationships as couples remained stable for more than a year after the groups ended.
• Children of fathers who went through the program alone or with the mothers were much less aggressive, hyperactive, depressed or socially withdrawn than children of fathers in the control group.
“The bottom line is that parents experienced reduced stress and anxiety when fathers were given parenting and relationship tools and encouragement, especially along-side mothers,” explained Carolyn Pape Cowan, professor of psychology emerita at the University of California, Berkeley, who also co-authored the study. “And children clearly benefited because moms and dads were happier and healthier.”
The research was funded by the California Department of Social Services Office of Child Abuse Prevention, with additional support from The Stewart Foundation, and gathered evidence from family resource centers in five California counties: Yuba, Tulare, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo. The researchers note in their paper that the factors that contribute to more violent behavior in the home are exacerbated when families experience greater economic stress, as they do today, making this research especially timely and relevant.
“The transformation that some of the men went through because we gave them the tools and encouragement to be involved as parents is amazing,” said Roy Martin, a director of the Supporting Fatherhood Program in Yuba County. “Some of the couples have been so enthusiastic about supporting each other that they continue to meet as a group, even after their participation in the program concluded.”
Even with the current budget challenges facing state and local agencies, there are best practices that family resource programs can adopt to make existing programs more inviting and relevant to fathers. In fact, doing so would help them apply their existing resources more effectively and ensure that they get the most out of the services they are already providing. That fact is one reason the study is already drawing attention from philanthropic leaders.
“Public and private agencies would get more bang for their buck if their programs that already focus on mothers were retooled to include fathers as well,” said Richard S. Atlas, founder of the Atlas Family Foundation, which focuses on early child development and parent education. “Essentially, what we need is a First Five for Fathers, or, better yet, a First Five for both parents.”
For more information about the Supporting Father Involvement study, visit:
http://www.supportingfatherinvolvement.org/
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Promoting Fathers’ Engagement With Children:
Preventive Interventions for Low-Income Families
Written by Philip A. Cowan and Carolyn Pape Cowan, University of California, Berkeley; Marsha Kline Pruett, Smith College; Kyle Pruett, Yale University School of Medicine; Jessie J. Wong, University of California, Berkeley
Abstract from article:
Few programs to enhance fathers’ engagement with children have been systematically evaluated, especially for low-income minority populations. In this study, 289 couples from primarily low-income Mexican American and European American families were randomly assigned to one of three conditions and followed for 18 months: 16-week groups for fathers, 16-week groups for couples, or a 1-time informational meeting. Compared with families in the low-dose comparison condition, intervention families showed positive effects on fathers’ engagement with their children, couple relationship quality, and children’s problem behaviors. Participants in couples’ groups showed more consistent, longer term positive effects than those in fathers-only groups. Intervention effects were similar across family structures, income levels, and ethnicities. Implications of the results for current family policy debates are discussed.
Click here to download the full article in PDF.