Are father depression and masculinity associated with father perceptions of maternal gatekeeping?

Abstract

Maternal gatekeeping has been associated with reductions in father involvement and can have a negative impact on the family. Few researchers, however, have focused on how characteristics of the father contribute to gatekeeping. Consequently, this brief report is focused on associations between father depression, father adherence to masculine norms, and father reports of maternal gatekeeping. We further test whether a father's adherence to traditional masculine norms interacts with the relationship between depression and father reports of maternal gatekeeping. This study adds to the current literature on both maternal gatekeeping and father mental health. Participants in this study include 2,214 fathers from the Survey of Contemporary Fatherhood including 73% White, 10% African American, 11% Hispanic/ Latinx, and 6% from other races. It was found that fathers who reported higher levels of depression also reported higher levels of maternal gatekeeping; masculinity moderated this association. The link between depression and gatekeeping was amplified when men adhered to masculine norms. Those fathers who were highest in depression and highest in masculinity were also highest in their reports of maternal gatekeeping. Although gatekeeping has historically been considered a problematic behavior, our findings suggest that when a mother's gatekeeping is correlated with potential fathering risk factors (such as depression and masculine norm adherence), gatekeeping may be a tool a mother uses to protect her children.

The mother domain: Mediated model of maternal gatekeepers and depressed fathers among newlyweds with children

“…For example, the gatekeeping measure used in the current study has three separate constructs: maternal identity confirmation, standards, and responsibilities (Allen & Hawkins, 1999), whereas the measure by Fagan and Barnett (2003) is focused on maternal control or ownership of parenting. Differences in measures could explain the lack of consistent results between Thomas and Holmes (2019), as well as Schoppe‐Sullivan et al (2015), and the results found in this manuscript. It is also possible that this sample is less likely to adhere to traditional ideas of maternal gatekeeping; the specific sample is newlyweds, many of whom cohabited before marriage.…”

“…The first hypothesis, that paternal depression would be directly positively associated with maternal gatekeeping, was not supported. We anticipated that this hypothesis would be supported according to the significant results from past research (Thomas & Holmes, 2019). However, other research has also failed to find a significant association between paternal depression and maternal gatekeeping (Schoppe-Sullivan et al, 2015), which shows conflicting results regarding this association.…”

“…This could cross over into the marriage relationship and influence the stability or connectedness of that partnership. As such, maternal gatekeeping could represent a mother's attempt to cope with or control the father's behaviors (Thomas & Holmes, 2019). When researchers understand the intrapersonal and interpersonal processes that impact maternal gatekeeping and father depression in the family system, they can better understand the effects on children, parent-child relationships, and marital relationships.…”

“…Thus, gatekeeping could actually produce positive outcomes for children when fathering behaviors, such as aggression, feelings of worthlessness, and the struggle to be emotionally present, are destructive to the family system. Building on Zvara et al’s (2017) work, recent research established that father depression is associated with maternal gate‐closing behaviors when traditional masculine role norms are used as a moderator (Thomas & Holmes, 2019). Other subsystems must be included when analyzing depression and gatekeeping to more fully understand this association.…”

Coparenting and Mental Health in Families with Jailed Parents

“…Similar dynamics have been documented in families experiencing parental incarceration, with children's caregivers functioning as gatekeepers (e.g., [29]). Gatekeeping can be a reflection of power in the coparenting relationship or the gatekeeper's desire to protect the child from a perceived threat or potential harm [66]. The latter may be especially true for caregivers who are worried about their children coming into contact with the criminal justice system because a parent is incarcerated.…”