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Challenging behaviors in young children: the father's role

Ann D Burbach1, Robert A Fox, Bonnie C Nicholson

  • 1Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, USA.

The Journal of Genetic Psychology
|July 21, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Lower-income fathers report higher stress and use more punishment. Paternal discipline impacts child behavior, but fathers generally have reasonable expectations and observe prosocial behavior in children.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Parenting Studies
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Parenting practices significantly influence child behavior and development.
  • Fathers' roles in parenting are increasingly recognized as crucial.
  • Socioeconomic status (SES) can impact parenting stress and disciplinary methods.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine parenting practices, developmental expectations, and stress in fathers.
  • To investigate the relationship between paternal discipline and child behaviors (challenging and prosocial).
  • To explore fathers' qualitative concerns regarding parenting.

Main Methods:

  • 136 fathers and their 1- to 5-year-old children participated.
  • Participants were divided into 4 groups, controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) and child's gender.
  • Data collected included parenting practices, developmental expectations, stress levels, and child behaviors.

Main Results:

  • Lower-income fathers reported higher parenting stress and greater use of corporal and verbal punishment.
  • Frequent use of corporal and verbal punishment by fathers was linked to child behavior problems, irrespective of SES.
  • Fathers across SES groups demonstrated reasonable developmental expectations and reported similar levels of children's prosocial behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Early parent education programs should actively involve fathers.
  • Programs should equip fathers with effective strategies for managing child behavior problems.
  • Addressing socioeconomic disparities in parenting resources is essential.

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