The Effect of Father's Parenting Participation on Infants' Atrophy Behavior: The Mediating Effect of Expressive Vocabulary

This study examines the influence of fathers’ parenting involvement on children’s withdrawn behavior, with expressive vocabulary as a mediator. Using data from the 4th and 5th waves of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC), fathers’ involvement and children’s expressive vocabulary (4th wave) and withdrawn behavior (5th wave) were analyzed with SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 22.0. Findings indicated that children’s gender did not significantly affect withdrawn behavior, although expressive vocabulary differed by gender. Fathers’ involvement was positively related to expressive vocabulary and negatively related to withdrawn behavior. Expressive vocabulary was also negatively associated with withdrawn behavior, partially mediating the effect of fathers’ involvement. These results emphasize the role of fathers in promoting children’s language and social-emotional development, offering practical and educational implications for fostering healthy adjustment.