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Fathers and preschool behavior problems
M DeKlyen1, M A Biernbaum, M L Speltz
1Child Psychiatry, Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA. mdeklyen@u.washington.edu
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Fathers
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Early behavior problems in children are a significant concern.
- Research has historically focused less on fathers' roles in child behavior.
- Understanding paternal factors is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of fathers in the development of early behavior problems in preschool boys.
- To identify specific paternal risk factors associated with clinic-referred behavior problems.
- To examine predictors of initial clinic status and long-term problem severity.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study of fathers of clinic-referred boys and matched comparison boys.
- Assessment of six risk domains: life stress, social support, psychological symptoms, parenting attitudes, positive involvement, and harsh discipline.
- Longitudinal analysis of teacher-rated problem severity one year later.
Main Results:
- Fathers of clinic-referred boys reported higher life stress, psychological symptoms, and harsher discipline compared to controls.
- Harsh discipline uniquely predicted clinic referral status.
- Fathers' life stress, psychological symptoms, and positive involvement predicted later problem severity in clinic-referred boys.
Conclusions:
- Paternal factors, particularly harsh discipline, play a significant role in early behavior problems.
- Different paternal factors influence initial problem identification versus the stability of these problems over time.
- Fathers' involvement is key for predicting long-term outcomes in children with behavioral issues.
Abstract:
Fathers have seldom been the focus of research investigating the causes and correlates of early behavior problems. Two studies examined fathers of preschool boys with and without clinic-referred behavior problems. Six domains of risk were examined: life stress, social support, psychological symptoms, parenting attitudes, positive involvement, and harsh discipline. Clinic fathers differed from fathers of matched comparison boys with respect to all of these except social support, but only harsh discipline contributed uniquely to clinic status. These domains correctly classified 81% of the boys. Within the clinic group, teacher-rated problem severity 1 year later was predicted by fathers' life stress, psychological symptoms, and positive involvement, indicating that different factors may account for initial clinic status versus stability of problems. Mothers' self-report data better predicted clinic group membership, whereas fathers' data better predicted Year 2 outcomes for clinic boys.