Feldman, Julia S.
(2024)
Patterns, Predictors, and Outcomes of Paternal Activation Parenting.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
This is the latest version of this item.
Abstract
Extant research on paternal caregiving in early childhood has typically relied on traditional caregiving dimensions derived from research and theory on mothers. However, some have argued that fathers play a unique role in promoting children’s experiences and relationships with individuals outside of the security provided by attachment relationships through activation parenting (AP). AP includes behaviors that challenge children to approach novel situations, explore their environments, and take physical and socioemotional risks, through a balance of encouragement and limit-setting. Whereas components of AP have been linked to children’s self-regulation (SR) skills, comprehensive measures of AP and, importantly, longitudinal research on Black and Latinx families from low socioeconomic backgrounds are lacking. These limitations greatly constrain our understanding of the potential benefits of paternal AP for children’s emerging SR. Thus, the overall goal of the present study was to test associations between paternal AP (age 3), paternal characteristics (age 2), and children’s SR skills (ages 4 and 5) in a sample of low-income, ethnically diverse fathers. Participating fathers (N = 171; 9% Black, 47% white, 11% other/unknown racial group, 32% missing; 8% Latinx, 61% not Latinx, 30% missing; mean household income = $25,145) and their children (51% female and 49% male) were drawn from the Early Steps Multisite Study. Dyads participated in clean-up and teaching tasks at age 3, which were coded using a novel AP coding system. Hypothesized predictors of AP were collected at age 2 and included father-reported depressive symptoms and sociodemographic characteristics collected via interviews with the primary caregiver (mostly biological mothers): income-to-needs ratio, paternal education, and paternal race/ethnicity. Child SR was assessed via maternal and paternal reports at ages 2, 4, and 5, as well as via behavioral tasks at age 5. Although a multilevel latent factor for AP in the clean-up and teaching tasks demonstrated excellent fit, AP was not found to be associated with child SR (either directly or moderated by child characteristics) and was not significantly associated with paternal characteristics. Despite the null findings, the present study has important implications for conceptualizing and measuring AP in diverse samples of caregivers, including fathers.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
27 August 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
9 June 2023 |
| Approval Date: |
27 August 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
26 June 2023 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
127 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Psychology |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
father, activation parenting, paternal, self-regulation, early childhood, longitudinal |
| Date Deposited: |
27 Aug 2024 14:38 |
| Last Modified: |
27 Aug 2024 14:38 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/45066 |
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Patterns, Predictors, and Outcomes of Paternal Activation Parenting. (deposited 27 Aug 2024 14:38)
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