Supporting Father Involvement
The Supporting Father Involvement (SFI) Research Study’s purpose is to increase the positive involvement of fathers of young children and to promote the importance of the father’s role in their children’s lives; strengthen overall family relationships; and to enhance children's development.
SFI is based at UC Berkeley and was co-developed with researchers from Yale University (Kyle Pruett), Smith College (Marsha Kline Pruett) and UC Berkeley (Carolyn Pape Cowan and Phillip Cowan). The project is funded by the California Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention. We are currently in phase four of the study.
The themes underlying the study’s approach are that fathers’ positive involvement in children’s lives is good for fathers, mothers, and kids; and if we are concerned about fostering children’s healthy development, we should look beyond parenting to the relationship between the parents.
In our assessments and interventions, we focus on:
• PARENTS AS INDIVIDUALS: To increase their coping with internal stressors and meet their individual needs
• THE COUPLE RELATIONSHIP: To increase collaborative problem-solving and decrease couple conflict
• PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS: To increase fathers’ involvement and age-appropriate parenting strategies
• FAMILY OF ORIGIN: To help parents find ways to break negative intergenerational cycles of harsh treatment and abuse
• STRESSORS and SUPPORTS: To develop strategies for coping with external stressors and increase supports from family, friends, and social services
We look at these areas because we know what occurs in each of these five aspects of family life can function as either a risk or protective factor affecting children’s development. We hope to help participants be the partners and parents they want to be, based on their dreams, background and culture. We are not suggesting one single model or blueprint for family relationships.
An involved father…
• Feels responsible for and behaves responsibly toward his child
• Is emotionally engaged
• Is physically accessible
• Provides material support to sustain the child's needs
• Is involved in child‐care
• Exerts influence in child rearing decisions
Child outcomes of involved fathering include:
Behavioral
• Reduced contact with juvenile justice
• Delay in initial sexual activity, reduced teen pregnancy
• Reduced rate of divorce
• Less reliance on aggressive conflict resolution
Educational
• Higher grade completion and income
• Math competence in girls
• Verbal strength in boys and girls (literacy)
Emotional
• Greater problem-solving competence, and stress tolerance
• Greater empathy, moral sensitivity and reduced gender stereotyping
Adult male outcomes of involved fathering include:
Increased
• Longevity
• Length of marriage
• Level of health
• Responsibility for relationships
Decreased
• Accidental death
• Suicide
• Job Change
• Aggression/impulsivity
Some of the results thus far include:
• Both moms and dads report an increase in the dad’s care of the children
• Both moms and dads report no increase in child’s problem behavior’s versus control families
• Both moms and dads report a decrease in parenting stress
• Both moms and dads report maintained relationship satisfaction versus control couples
• Dads report an increase in their time in the role of a father
The intervention has been equally effective for:
• Mexican American and Anglo participants
• Lower-income and higher-income participants
• Married and cohabiting couples
• More and less depressed parents
• Partners more and less happy with their relationship as a couple
Quotes from some of our participants
“I feel much closer to my kids and more involved in their lives.”
Robert, Divorced, Father of 2
“I learned how to manage my time with my family while both valuing myself, my husband, and my kids.”
Monica, Married, Mother of 2
“I learned from the other parents in the workshop. The discussions we had gave me ideas that I could apply to my life and family.”
Brian, Co-parent, Father of 5
“I react less with anger to my kids and feel more open-minded. I participate more with them now. I am more important to them than I realized.”
Luz, Married, Mother of 2
If you would like to refer a couple or yourself to our Supporting Father & Family Involvement research project you can either submit a form online here or click on the pdf file below and fax it into our center.