Challenging Behaviors in Young Children: The Father\u27s Role

In this study, the authors examined the parenting practices, developmental expectations, and stress levels of 136 fathers and the challenging and prosocial behaviors of their 1- to 5-year-old children. In addition, the authors systematically addressed fathers\u27 qualitative concerns about their parenting. The authors divided the participants into 4 groups and controlled for family socioeconomic status (SES) and the focus child\u27s gender. Results showed a significantly higher use of corporal and verbal punishment and parenting stress among lower income fathers. Secondary analyses demonstrated a significant effect of paternal disciplinary practices that emphasized the frequent use of corporal and verbal punishment on child behavior problems, regardless of SES level. On a positive note, fathers from both lower and higher SES groups had reasonable developmental expectations for their boys and girls, and they reported similar frequencies of their children\u27s prosocial behavior. The authors discuss the need for early parent education programs that include fathers and that teach specific strategies to address child behavior problems

Parenting Among Fathers of Young Children

The purpose of this study was to expand the presently limited database on the parenting practices of fathers with young children by measuring reported nurturing and disciplinary behaviors, and developmental expectations of a sample of fathers. In addition, the bidirectional father-child interaction process was investigated by examining the relationship between fathers\u27 reported parenting practices and child behaviors. Finally, determinants of the parenting practices of fathers were addressed, including socioeconomic status, parenting stress, child age, and child gender

Parenting among fathers of young children

This study examined if child gender and socioeconomic status (SES) significantly affected reported differences in the parenting practices and expectations, parenting stress, and perceptions of child behavior of fathers of young children ages 1 to 5 years. Fathers completed the Parenting Behavior Checklist (PBC), Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI), Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) and the Behavior Screening Questionnaire (BSQ). The ethnically diverse sample was selected from a large urban area in the Midwest. Fathers were assigned to one of four groups based on gender of the focus child and SES. SES was estimated using Hollingshead\u27s Four Factor Index of Social Status. Lower SES was defined as scores from 8 to 34, higher SES was defined as scores from 35 to 66. Results indicated that lower SES fathers of male children obtained significantly higher scores on the PBC Discipline subscale, indicating greater use of verbal and physical punishment in response to difficult child behaviors, than higher SES fathers of male and female children. Lower SES fathers of male children also obtained significantly lower scores on the PBC Nurturing subscale, indicating use of fewer nurturing behaviors that are likely to promote psychological growth, than both groups of fathers with female children. No significant differences between the four groups were found on the PBC Expectations subscale, which measures developmental expectations (developmental tasks that the parent believes the child should be capable of doing). Lower SES fathers of male children obtained significantly higher scores on the PSI Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale than higher SES fathers of male and female children. Higher scores on this subscale suggest that interactions with the child are not reinforcing to the parent, and that the parent either views themselves as abused or rejected by the child, or that the parent is disappointed in or feels alienated from the child. No significant differences were found on the parental distress, or difficult child subscales. No significant differences between groups were found for reported perceptions of child behavior, as measured by the ECBI or BSQ. The implication of these findings for parenting programs is discussed