Child Development Knowledge and Father Engagement: The Mediating Role of Parenting Self-efficacy

Abstract

Early father engagement is associated with numerous positive child outcomes including cognitive development, emotional regulation, and fewer problem behaviors. Various fathering programs attempt to encourage father engagement through teaching fathers about young children’s development and needs. This study examined 181 low-income fathers’ child development knowledge (self-perceived and objective) as predictors of father engagement (verbal stimulation, caregiving, and physical play) with infants. Additionally, parenting self-efficacy (PSE) was examined as a mediator. Results revealed that fathers’ self-perceived child development knowledge positively predicted engagement with infants (verbal stimulation and caregiving), but objective knowledge did not. PSE did not mediate the relationship between self-perceived knowledge and father engagement. These findings yield important implications for fathering research and interventions, suggesting that it may be particularly beneficial to increase fathers’ confidence in their ability to understand and meet their child’s needs rather than exclusively focusing on improving fathers’ knowledge of child development.

Expectant mothers and fathers' knowledge of nurturing care in a developing country

“…Another study examined 181 low-income fathers' knowledge of child development (self-perception and objective) as a predictor of father involvement with infants (verbal stimulation, caregiving, and physical play). The findings suggest that it may be particularly beneficial to enhance fathers' knowledge of child development as well as increase fathers' confidence in their ability to understand and meet their children's needs ( 52 ).…”

Father's Involvement in Children's Distance Learning during the Pandemic

“…Father involvement in parenting plays a higher role in increasing all forms of human capacity, including cognitive-academic (Connor & Stolz, 2022;Volker J., 2014;Huerta et al, 2013;Tétreault et al, 2021), social-behavioral (Connor & Stolz, 2022;Liu et al, 2021;Ferreira et al, 2016), language (Ancell & Bruns, 2018;McCaig et al, 2021), physical motor (Craig et al, 2021;McCaig et al, 2021;X. Liu, 2019;Walsh et al, 2017) and emotional-psychological development (Connor & Stolz, 2022;Trumello et al, 2021;Liu et al, 2021;Mil et al, 2022). Father involvement is a form of active participation of a father in supporting the child's physical, social, intellectual, moral, emotional, and spiritual development.…”