Fatherhood in Context: Intergenerational, Psychological, and Relational Influences

The current study examined a process model for father involvement that incorporated important contextual factors that have salient influence on paternal engagement. The proposed process model also included developmental outcomes for children. Longitudinal data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study was used to examine an adapted version of Belsky’s (1984) process model for the determinants of parenting. Fathers’ past involvement with their own fathers was negatively related fathers’ depression when their children were born. Furthermore, when children were newborns, paternal depression was negatively related to fathers’ intimate relationship quality with birth mothers. The most robust relationships were the following: a positive relationship between fathers’ intimate relationship quality when their children were born and later father involvement when their children were 3 years old; and a positive relationship between fathers’ intimate relationship quality when their children were newborns and later intimate relationship quality when children were 3 years old. Lastly, father involvement, intimate relationship quality, and the interaction between father involvement and intimate relationship quality when children were 3 years old significantly predicted child outcomes (pro-social, internalizing, and externalizing behaviors) when children were 5 years old. Fathers’ ethnic background was a significant moderator for the hypothesized model. Overall, the current study provides substantive evidence for the cascade effects of fathers’ developmental experiences on their individual functioning, intimate relationships, father-child relationships, and children’s development.