Kids with Dad do Better - New Study

I received the following information about a new study from a guy who's list I subscribe to, Ken Pope. Some terrific information in here about how kids with Dad around do better behaviourally and cognitively. The new issue of Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement (vol. 43, #3, July) includes a study: 

"Fathers' Influence on Children's Cognitive and Behavioural Functioning: A Longitudinal Study of Canadian Families." The authors are Erin Pougnet , Lisa A. Serbin, Dale M. Stack, and Alex E. Schwartzman. One type of family that is becoming increasingly common in North America is the family headed by a single mother. In 2006, approximately 13% of Canadian families and 22% of families in Québec included biological fathers who lived apart from their children (Statistics Canada, 2007a). 

In general, studies outside of Canada have demonstrated that fathers' presence in their children's homes and parenting are positively associated with children's cognitive outcomes across time, even after controlling for various demographic and socioeconomic factors (for review, see Allen & Daly, 2002). The majority of the recent fathering research has been conducted with preschool-aged children. For example, a study conducted in the United States by Ryan, Martin, and Brooks-Gunn (2006) found that children who lived with two highly supportive parents at 2-years-old had higher cognitive and language development at 3 years of age than children who lived with one or no supportive parents after controlling for socio-economic statuts. 

Studies conducted with the older offspring of absent fathers have supported these findings. For example, a study conducted in the United States indicated that children whose fathers lived with them full-time had higher scores on reading and math tests than children whose fathers did not live with them (Teachman, Day, Paasch, Carver, & Call, 1998). 

Moreover, paternal parenting has been shown to be positively associated with children's cognitive outcomes for different age groups (Bronte-Tinkew, Carrano, Horowitz, & Kinukawa, 2008; Fagan & Iglesias, 1999). For example, one study found that fathers' supportiveness when children were 2-years-old was associated with children's intellectual functioning scores at 2- and 3-years-old (Cabrera, Shannon, &; Tamis-LeMonda, 2007). Another study found that paternal warmth when children were 12-years-old was a predictor of school achievement two years later; this remained true after controlling for the effect of maternal warmth (Chen, Liu, & Li, 2000). 

 In general, research has indicated that children who experience fathers' absence from the home at various points during childhood are more likely than other children to display internalizing problems, such as sadness, social withdrawal, and anxiety, as well as externalizing problems, such as aggression, impulsivity, and hyperactivity (Amato & Gilbreth, 1999; Carlson, 2006; Demuth &; Brown, 2004). One study that was conducted in the United States found that children with absent fathers displayed more antisocial behaviour than children whose fathers were present in their home, even after controlling for the effects of paternal antisocial behaviour, socio-economic status, and presence of stepfathers (Pfiffner, McBurnett, & Rathouz, 2001). 

Results 

Overall, the results from this study indicated that fathers' presence in middle childhood predicted cognitive and behavioural outcomes later on in development. This was illustrated utilizing a prospective methodology with a culturally and linguistically distinct longitudinal sample of socioeconomically at-risk families, and after accounting for such potentially confounding factors as annual family income, the quality of the home environment, parental educational attainment, and couple conflict. 

The results indicated that for girls only, fathers' presence in middle childhood predicted fewer internalizing problems in preadolescence. 

For both boys and girls, fathers' positive parental control predicted higher Performance IQ and fewer internalizing problems over six years later. 

These findings add to the increasing body of literature suggesting that fathers make important contributions to their children's cognitive and behavioural functioning, and point to the benefits of developing policies that encourage fathers to spend time with their children (i.e., parental leave for men) and promote positive fathering and involvement through parenting courses.