Pre-teens whose dads embrace parenthood may be less prone to behavioral issues

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/b-pwd111816.php

Public Release: 22-Nov-2016
Pre-teens whose dads embrace parenthood may be less prone to behavioral issues
How new fathers see themselves in child's early years seems to be most influential
BMJ

Kids whose dads adjust well to parenthood and feel confident about their new role may be less likely to have behavioural problems in the run-up to their teens, indicates research published in the online journal BMJ Open.

It's how fathers see themselves as parents in the child's early years, rather than the amount of direct childcare they give, that seems to be important, the findings suggest.

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This is an observational study so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, and as the researchers note, the study dates back 25 years, since when parenting styles may have changed, so the findings may therefore not be widely generalisable.

But they write: "The findings of this research study suggest that it is psychological and emotional aspects of paternal involvement in a child's infancy that are most powerful in influencing later child behaviour, and not the amount of time that fathers are engaged in childcare or domestic tasks in the household."