Measurement of Father–child Rough‐and‐tumble Play and Its Relations to Child Behavior

Abstract

Although there is increasing evidence of paternal influence on child outcomes such as language and cognition, researchers are not yet clear on the features of father-child play that are most valuable in terms of child development. Physical play such as rough and tumble play (RTP) is a favored type of father-child play in Western societies that has been linked to children's socioemotional competence. It is important, therefore, to determine the implications of this play for child development. In this review and meta-analysis, associations between father-child physical play and child behavior were examined. The review also focused on study methods. Sixteen studies are reviewed, N = 1,521 father-child dyads, 35% boys. Study characteristics such as definitions of physical play, play settings, play measures, and coding were examined. The meta-analysis found weak to moderate population effects for links between father-child physical play and child aggression, social competence, emotional skills, and self-regulation. Research investigating the effect of father-child physical play on children's development will be improved when definitions clearly identify the nature of play, settings facilitate boisterous play, and measures include frequency and quality of play interactions. This play shows promise as an enhancer of positive father-child relationships and a catalyst for child development.

Commentary on Fathers’ Play: Measurement, Conceptualization, Culture, and Connections With Child Development

“…Internal consistency across tasks ranged from .56 to .77, suggesting that these types of parenting behaviors may be quite consistent across settings (structured vs. free play) and locations (home vs. lab). This is in line with the conclusion of StGeorge and Freeman () that play settings and contexts do not seem critical to the assessment of the consequences of physical play for child outcomes. However, the consistency of parenting behavior across settings, locations, and types of play is still understudied, in particular for the recently developed measures used by the empirical articles of this special section.…”

“…Two types of play are addressed by these studies: the quality of pretend play (“playfulness;” Cabrera, Karberg, Malin, & Aldoney, ; Menashe‐Grinberg & Atzaba‐Poria, ) and physical “rough‐and‐tumble” play (RTP) (Ahnert et al., ; Anderson, Qiu, & Wheeler, ; StGeorge & Freeman, ). Both types of paternal play appear to have meaningful relations to a variety of child outcomes.…”

“…RTP quality and reciprocity dominance were described and assessed by observation of father and child behaviors on a large number of carefully selected items (Anderson et al., ). Physical play was described with explicit ratings of definitions and measures (frequency, duration, or quality) in the meta‐analysis (StGeorge & Freeman, ). Quality and intensity of “activation” were studied as separate measures using a task inducing both physical and pretend play (Ahnert et al., ).…”

“…The conceptualization of physical play is addressed in the meta‐analysis (StGeorge & Freeman, ) by ranking studies according to the explicit inclusion of RTP, playfulness, positive affect, and role reversal in their operationalization. This rank (i.e., quality) of the definition, however, did not appear to influence the strength of the associations with child outcomes, leading StGeorge and Freeman () to suggest that the excitement and arousal of the physical interaction may be more important than the play‐fighting element. However, Anderson et al.…”

Measurement, structural, and functional invariance of parent-child play quality coding across multiple games and parent gender

“…Thereby it fosters a wide range of child competencies ranging from cognitive to social, emotional, and behavioral skills (Ginsburg, 2007;Lindsey & Mize, 2000;Stgeorge & Freeman, 2017). However, mothers and fathers play differently with their children.…”