Fathers' Unaccounted Contributions: Paternal Involvement and Maternal Stress

Mothers are often children's primary caregivers. Fathers have historically been viewed as marginally involved, leaving mothers with a disproportionate share of parenting responsibilities and stress. Although more researchers are examining fathers' roles and behavior within the family, rela...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFamilies in society Vol. 92; no. 2; pp. 176 - 182
Main Authors Harmon, Dana K., Perry, Armon R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.04.2011
Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects
Caregivers
Childrearing Practices
Children
Children & youth
Emotions
Family
Family Roles
Mothers
Parents
Parents & parenting
Regression analysis
Stress
Studies
Well Being
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Summary:Mothers are often children's primary caregivers. Fathers have historically been viewed as marginally involved, leaving mothers with a disproportionate share of parenting responsibilities and stress. Although more researchers are examining fathers' roles and behavior within the family, relatively little is known about how their involvement impacts mothers' parenting stress. This study investigated the ways in which fathers' contributions and mothers' perception of them affect maternal parenting stress. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study, hierarchical regression analysis revealed that in addition to mothers' and children's characteristics, the level of perceived emotional parenting support that fathers provided to mothers predicted maternal parenting stress. Implications for family practitioners working with low-income and minority populations are included.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:1044-3894
1945-1350
DOI:10.1606/1044-3894.4101