An analysis of latent profiles of father-child interaction: Classification predictors and differences in children’s socio-emotional development

The purpose of this study was to (1) classify subgroups of father-child interaction based on the type of interaction activity (routine, learning, and play interaction), (2) examine the effects of socio-demographic factors, father’s psycho-emotional factors, and maternal factors on the different types of father-child interaction groups, and (3) analyze differences in socio-emotional development of first graders in elementary school according to the type of father-child interaction. Analysis of 1,469 families (mothers, fathers, and children) was conducted using latent profile analysis (research question 1), complex sample multinomial logistic regression (RQ 2), and complex sample general linear modeling (RQ 3). Samples originated from the eighth wave (2015) of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC). The main results were as follows. First, three distinct latent groups of father-child interaction based on the quantitative level of daily interaction were found: high-interaction (HI, 7.85%), medium-interaction (MI, 51.73%), and low-interaction (LI, 40.42%). Second, factors such as father’s happiness, positive evaluation of work-family balance, and mother-child interaction level were significant correlates for the classification of father-child interaction. Third, first graders in the HI group showed the highest levels of self-esteem in comparison to the other two groups and reported a higher level of subjective happiness in comparison to the LI group. These results bring to attention the importance of father-child interaction affecting the outcomes of children’s socio-emotional development.