Parental Warmth of Non-Offending Primary Caregiving Fathers Rearing Children in the U.S. Child Welfare System: Associations with Children’s Socioemotional Development

Joyce Y. Lee, Susan Yoon, Yujeong Chang, Hunmin Cha, Angelise Radney, Amy Xu, Ashley L. Landers, Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

SYNOPSIS: Objective. Fathers who are impacted by the child welfare system are often examined through a deficit lens. This cross-sectional study aims to assess paternal warmth as a positive dimension of non-offending, primary caregiving men’s fathering and examine the links between paternal warmth and children’s socioemotional development among families impacted by the U.S. child welfare system. Design. Data came from a subsample (N = 192) included in the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being-Second Cohort. Primary caregiving fathers were from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, with biological fathers making up the largest group followed by foster fathers and grandfathers. Children’s internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and social competence were regressed on paternal warmth assessed using the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment-Short Form. Results. Paternal warmth did not differ by father type. Greater paternal warmth was associated with lower levels of children’s externalizing symptoms and higher levels of children’s social competence. Conclusions. Non-offending, primary caregiving fathers engage in positive fathering—in the form of paternal warmth—despite the multiple disadvantages they face, and such fathering is associated with beneficial socioemotional outcomes for their children. Family and child welfare practitioners should provide father-inclusive services to support fathering, especially within the often complex system of child welfare.

Original languageEnglish
JournalParenting
DOIs
StateAccepted/In press - 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

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