ABSTRACT
From the powerful patriarch and moral teacher roles that defined the earliest generation of fathers residing in the United States to the breadwinning and economic support functions that emerged during industrialization, fathers’ involvement in family life has undergone numerous transformations (Lamb, 2010). Today’s fathers spend more time with their children than fathers of previous generations and fulfill multiple, diverse roles in families (Sayer, Bianchi, and Robinson, 2004). When fathers are regularly engaged in childrearing and show high-quality parenting behaviors, including warmth, sensitivity, and emotional engagement, children are better adjusted, exhibiting reduced behavioral problems, enhanced cognitive development, and better social and relational functioning (Carlson, 2006; Coley and Medeiros, 2007; Sarkadi, Kristiansson, Oberklaid, and Bremberg, 2008). Fathers’ increased involvement in childrearing, and the corresponding benefits of sustained, high-quality involvement for children’s adjustment, has brought attention to contextual factors that might enhance or hinder the quality and quantity of fathers’ parenting behaviors—especially in the early months following childbirth when patterns of parenting are established.
