Father Involvement and Toddlers’ Behavior Regulation: Evidence from a High Social Risk Sample

Abstract

Using a sample of 401 adolescent mothers (16-20 years of age at childbirth) and their firstborn toddlers, we examined relations between father involvement, mother-father relationships, and toddlers’ socioemotional functioning. Mothers reported on father involvement and father-mother relationship quality (support, conflict, intimate partner violence). Children’s behavior problems and social competence were assessed using the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA). The expected positive influence of high father involvement on toddlers was absent when parents were in conflict, or had high intimate partner violence (IPV). Results are discussed in light of the current emphasis on policies and programs to support father involvement and suggest that enhancing the quality of father-mother relationships may facilitate the potential positive effects of father involvement on children’s functioning.