Engaged Dads can Decrease Adolescent Behavioral Problems, Improve Well-being

Fathers' social involvement (i.e., engagement and time spent with kids) is associated with fewer adolescent behavior problems, finds a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Social Service Review. According to a Rutgers University-New Brunswick study in low-income families, fathers who are engaged in their children's lives can improve their mental health and behavior.

The researchers found that teens in low-income families whose fathers are more frequently engaged in feeding, playing, reading, and other activities and who provide necessities such as clothes and food throughout their childhood have fewer behavioral and emotional problems decreasing a significant gap between poor families and those with higher socioeconomic status.

"On average, kids in lower socioeconomic status families tend to have more behavior problems, and their fathers have lower levels of overall involvement compared to those in higher socioeconomic status families," stated lead author Lenna Nepomnyaschy.

The researchers examined data on the long-term behavior of 5,000 children born between 1998 and 2000. They reviewed the relationships between such engagement and the children's internalizing and externalizing actions, including crying, fighting, worrying, bullying, and skipping school.

According to Nepomnyaschy, fathers with lower education, lower-skilled jobs, and lower wages may find it challenging to engage in their children's lives due to social and economic changes over the last several decades. These changes have resulted in the loss of manufacturing jobs, a decline in union power, and criminal justice policies tied to mass incarceration, particularly among men of color.

The researchers urged policymakers, scholars, and the public to consider wage, employment, and criminal justice policies that increase men's opportunity to engage with their kids to improve their well-being.

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Source-Medindia