This study used a three‐step procedure to examine 663 Midwestern university students' perceptions of the content of social stereotypes related to seven types of fathers. Married and adoptive fathers were the most positively stereotyped groups, and divorced residential fathers were also viewed quite positively. There were relatively neutral views of stepfathers and gay fathers, whereas divorced nonresidential and never‐married fathers were the most negatively stereotyped groups. Our results empirically supported the notion that younger adults' stereotypes of fathers depend on the father’s marital status, parental status, and sexual orientation.

This grounded theory study examined how 20 newly divorced, nonresidential fathers manage their fatherhood identities. The theory created from this study proposes that fathers' perceptions of (a) father‐child relationships, (b) how their children's fiscal needs are met, and (c) barriers to their physical interactions with their children influence their fatherhood identities. In spite of all fathers identifying themselves as involved, three types of fathers emerged: full‐time fathers, part‐time full‐time fathers, and part‐time fathers. The findings suggest that men's conceptualizations of father involvement are influenced by their postdivorce experiences with nonresidential fatherhood.

Using data from 392 divorced mothers and fathers, living in the United States, with a child between 10 and 18 years old, we first identified three types of postdivorce coparenting relationships ( cooperative, moderately engaged, and conflictual and disengaged) based on coparenting communication, cooperation, and conflict. We then tested if three aspects of parent–youth relationships differed between those groups. Parental warmth and support, parental knowledge, and inconsistent discipline did not differ based on the type of postdivorce coparenting relationship participants had with their ex-spouses. Finally, we tested if repartnership (i.e., being remarried or cohabiting with a new partner) or parent–youth contact moderated the associations between postdivorce coparenting and parent–youth relationships. There was one significant moderation effect. When parent–youth contact was monthly or less, parental knowledge appears lower in the conflictual and disengaged cluster compared with the other two clusters.

Objective To determine which aspects of divorced parents' ongoing relationships with their former spouses were associated with children's and youth's postdivorce well‐being. Background Research on the associations between former spousal relationships and children's postdivorce well‐being has focused extensively on postdivorce coparenting, with less emphasis on other aspects of these multidimensional relationships. Method Divorced parents (N = 641), recruited via Amazon MTurk, reported on six aspects of their relationships with their former spouses (coparenting cooperation, general communication with former spouses, boundary ambiguity, how often they talk with their former spouses, and satisfaction with custody and child support), and three indices of postdivorce child well‐being (prosocial, internalizing, and externalizing behavior). Results Analyses were conducted separately for children (4‐ to 9‐years‐old) and youth (10‐ to 18‐years‐old). For children, coparenting cooperation was associated with more prosocial but less internalizing behavior; general communication and boundary ambiguity—family system were associated with greater externalizing and internalizing behavior. For youth, boundary ambiguity—family system was associated with more externalizing and internalizing behavior, boundary ambiguity—relationship with former spouse was associated with more externalizing behavior, child support satisfaction was associated with more prosocial behavior, and custody satisfaction was associated with less internalizing behavior. Conclusion For child and youth postdivorce well‐being, some aspects of former spousal relationships appear more impactful than others, with boundary ambiguity appearing particularly detrimental. Implications Divorce education programs may need to diversify their content, supplementing the common focus on postdivorce coparenting with resources that help parents reduce boundary ambiguity in the family system.

This study focused on the father-child interactions of TV fathers in popular situation comedies of the 2000s. The purpose of this study was also to understand how portrayals of situation comedy fathers and their interactions with their children vary by race, class, marital status, and TV channel. Four hypotheses were tested using data collected from 699 father-child interactions across 10 current situation comedies. Results suggest that father-child interactions do not differ based on race or ethnicity, but they do depend on fathers' class, marital status, and the channel that airs the TV show. Interpretations of findings and suggestions for future research are provided.