Aspects of Father Status and Postdivorce Father Involvement with Children

Abstract

Leite, McKenry / POSTDIVORCE FATHER INVOLVEMENTAs the number of fathers living separately from their children continues to rise, scholars, policy makers, and practitioners have devoted increasing attention to levels of nonresidential father involvement with children. Attention has been paid to the degree to which fathers visit with their children, provide financial support, and participate in decision making regarding their children. Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, the present study explored the relationship between nonresidential father involvement and various aspects of father role enactment. Levels of participation in face-to-face visits, telephone or letter contact, and global decision making concerning children were analyzed using a hypothesized model of role enactment in relation to samples of divorced, nonresidential fathers. Strong support is offered for the relationship between father involvement with children and various factors associated with social role enactment.

A community perspective on the role of fathers during pregnancy: a qualitative study

“…This becomes even more crucial when parents are not in the same household. Research on divorced parents, shows that fathers’ postnatal involvement with their children diminishes greatly due to breakdown in the parental relationship, poor communication [29] and loss of paternal satisfaction [30,31]. …”

Mothering, Fathering, and Divorce: The Influence of Divorce on Reports of and Desires for Maternal and Paternal Involvement*

“…Further, certain domains of parenting may be more affected by divorce than others (Schwartz & Finley, 2005a). It has also been suggested that divorce may undermine the fathering role (through nonresident status and visitation policies) to a greater extent than it undermines the mothering role (Braver, 1999; Leite & McKenry, 2002; Marquardt, 2005). It is therefore important to understand exactly which domains of mothering and fathering (at least as perceived retrospectively by young adult children) are most different between intact and divorced families.…”

Renegotiating Nonresidential Father–Child Relationships During Emerging Adulthood

“…Despite legal, geographic, and interpersonal barriers, many nonresidential fathers maintain regular contact with their children (Kelly, 2012). Consistent father-child contact has been found to be important for younger children and for emerging adults (Leite & McKenry, 2002), yet nonresidential fathers often reduce the time and resources they provide to children following divorce (Furstenburg & Cherlin, 1991;Troilo & Coleman, 2008). Although some nonresident fathers fit the negative stereotype (see Grall, 2006), there are many who want to financially support and maintain contact with their children, and most have positive attitudes about sharing care for their children (Smyth & Weston, 2004).…”