The current study utilized a social exchange perspective to examine relations among 74 adolescent mothers' perceptions of barriers to father engagement, parenting alliance strength, and nonresident fathers' engagement in caregiving and nurturing activities with their children. Even after accounting for mothers' perceptions of barrier strength, mothers who viewed the parenting alliance as strong also perceived fathers as more engaged in caregiving activities. A more complex pattern emerged for mothers' perceptions of father engagement in nurturing activities, such that relations between barrier strength and fathers' nurturing depended on the parents' relationship status and parenting alliance strength. Our findings suggest the importance of helping young parents strengthen their coparenting relationship in order to foster fathers' engagement with their children.

Propositions from identity theory suggest that interactional and affective commitment to a role identity affects the psychological centrality of that role identity. In turn, the centrality of one's role identity translates into role performance (Stryker & Serpe, 1994). This conceptual model was tested with a sample of 186 fathers in first marriages with at least one child 18 years or younger. The results showed that fathers who perceived their wives as evaluating them positively as fathers were more likely to report higher levels of involvement in child‐related activities and place greater importance on the father role identity. This prominence, in turn, was associated with higher levels of involvement.

Guided by identity theory, we explored men's perceptions of their role as fathers and how these self-perceptions are positioned in their overall sense of self as fathers in a sample of married and divorced, nonresident fathers. Data from 34 fathers who participated in focus group interviews revealed that men's definition of self as father is both complex and integrative. Seven fathering role identities emerged: provider, teacher, protector, disciplinarian, caretaker, supporter, and co-parent. Similarities were found in the fathers' self-perceptions regardless of marital status, although some variation is noted. Suggestions for future research are discussed.Sociological and historical work on fathering makes it clear that fathering is fundamentally a social construction (e.g., Pleck & Pleck, 1997), such that paternal behaviors are continuously redefined and renegotiated. Whereas the breadwinner role of fathers has represented the dominant cultural ideal, the relative importance has varied and has been complemented with other ideals (e.g., sex-role model, nurturer;Marsiglio, 1993). Evidence shows that cultural ideals influence how fathers perceive and attempt to enact their role as fathers, such that the "new nurturant father" should be active, involved, and responsive in all aspects of child care (Lamb, 2000).

The Communication Patterns Questionnaire-Short Form (CPQ-SF) is an 11-item self-assessment of spouses' perceptions of marital interactions. A cited reference review of the CPQ-SF literature revealed no formal assessment of its psychometric properties and that researchers are imprecise in their use, reporting, and referencing of the assessment. Toward improving the use of the CPQ-SF in research and practice, the factor structure and psychometric properties of this scale were examined with data collected from a diverse sample of married individuals. Three latent constructs were identified: criticize/defend, discuss/avoid, and positive interaction patterns. Support for the original two-factor structure, demand/withdrawal and positive interaction, was also found. Suggestions for a more precise use of the CPQ-SF in research and practice conclude the paper.