Father involvement and early child development in a low-resource setting
Italo Lopez Garcia1, Lia C H Fernald2, Frances E Aboud3
1RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, 90401, USA.
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|April 26, 2022
Summary
Father involvement in child development matters, especially through supporting mothers. Positive father-mother interactions, not direct engagement, significantly boost child development in low-resource settings.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Family Studies
- Global Health
Background:
- Limited evidence exists on father involvement in child development in low-resource settings.
- Past research often relied solely on maternal reports of fathers' direct engagement.
- Fathers may influence child development indirectly through positive interactions with mothers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore pathways through which fathers influence child development in rural Kenya.
- To examine the impact of father involvement on child cognitive and language development.
- To assess the effectiveness of a responsive parenting intervention involving fathers.
Main Methods:
- Data collected from 681 two-parent households in a cluster randomized controlled trial in rural Kenya.
- Fathers reported on behaviors towards children and mothers; mothers reported on wellbeing and behaviors.
- Child cognitive and language development assessed using the Bayley Scales.
Main Results:
- Greater father support to mothers and shared decision-making positively associated with child development.
- These associations were partially mediated by maternal wellbeing and behaviors.
- No association found between fathers' direct engagement and child outcomes; intervention had no impact.
Conclusions:
- Intrahousehold dynamics, particularly father-mother support, are crucial for child development in low-resource settings.
- Parenting interventions should consider indirect pathways of father involvement.
- Involving fathers in interventions presents challenges, including low attendance rates.
Keywords:
Early childhood development (ECD)Father involvementParenting interventionRural western KenyaMore Related Videos
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