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Introduction: Emerging literature links fatherhood to men's health but lacks comprehensive assessment of health outcomes, especially among multiethnic populations. This study's objective was to evaluate the associations of fatherhood (age at onset and status) with cardiovascular health scores, incident cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular disease death, and all-cause mortality, examining differences by race/ethnicity. Methods: The study sample included men from Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, prospective cohort study that enrolled adults aged 45–84 years without known cardiovascular disease at baseline. Cardiovascular health was defined using the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 scores (0–100), excluding sleep (cardiovascular health score). Results: In this sample of 2,814 men, mean age at cardiovascular health assessment was 62.2 years, 82% were fathers, 24% self-identified as Black, 13% self-identified Chinese, 22% self-identified Hispanic, and 41% self-identified White. Fathers who were aged 35 years (adjusted mean score of 61.1 vs 64.7 [p=0.01] and 61.0 vs 64.7 [p

Research Framework: Immigration in contexts such as Canada and Quebec is likely to generate changes in masculine functions. Thus, immigrant fathers, depending on their origins and profiles, negotiate and present different facets of masculinity to adapt to the various realities of the host country. Objectives: This article examines the impact of immigration on the masculinity and paternal identity of immigrant fathers of different origins in Quebec. Methodology: We conducted a total of 39 interviews with immigrant fathers of sub-Saharan, North African, European, Asian and Latin American origin. An interview guide with open-ended questions enabled them to express themselves on their perception of fatherhood, their identity, their paternal engagement and their adaptation in a migratory context. Results: Our findings indicate that fatherhood is an opportunity for these men to validate their masculinity. Furthermore, the role of provider represents an expression, valorization, and reinforcement of their masculinity. We also found that immigrant fathers’ perceptions of masculinity evolved and were redefined through paternal involvement, in order to overcome the difficulties of integration in the host country. Conclusion: This article shows that, beyond the difficulties, immigration represents an opportunity for commitment and redefinition of fatherhood and masculinity for many immigrant men. Contribution: The various observations arising from this study show the need to take masculinity into account in the care and development of programs for immigrant fathers. Finally, the article offers research possibilities to help understand better different types of fatherhood.

Background: In Japan, difference in birth rates depending on educational attainment has not been investigated. This study aimed to reveal birth rates in Japan depending on the highest level of educational attainment and their trends over the years using nationwide government statistics data. Methods: Individual-level data from Vital Statistics and the Census from 2000, 2010, and 2020 were used for birth and population data, respectively. Data linkage was conducted for males and females in the Census and fathers and mothers in the Vital Statistics using information about gender, household, nationality, marital status, birth year, birth month, prefecture, and municipality for individuals. The birth rate was calculated by gender, a five-year age group, the highest level of educational attainment achieved, and year. In addition, the slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII) were calculated to evaluate the degree of inequality in birth rates, depending on the educational attainment. Results: Birth rates were higher in persons with lower educational attainment compared to those with a higher educational attainment among males and females in their twenties, while they tended to be higher in persons with higher educational attainment among those in their thirties and forties. Additionally, an increase in the birth rate from 2000 to 2020 was the largest in university graduates among males aged 25–49 years and women aged 30–49 years, and a decrease in the birth rate was the smallest in university graduates among males and females aged 20–24 years. As a result, SII and RII increased from 2000 to 2020 among males and females in their thirties and forties. Conclusions: In conclusion, persons with higher educational attainment tended to have a relatively favorable trend in the birth rate compared with persons with lower educational attainment in recent decades. It suggested that enhanced administrative support for individuals with lower educational attainment or lower socioeconomic status may be required to ameliorate the declining birth rate in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Offspring of obese mothers are at high risk of developing metabolic syndrome and cognitive disabilities. Impaired metabolism has also been reported in the offspring of obese fathers. However, whether brain function can also be affected by paternal obesity has barely been examined. This study aimed to characterize the learning deficits resulting from paternal obesity versus those induced by maternal obesity and to identify the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Founder control and obese female and male Wistar rats were mated to constitute three first‐generation (F1) experimental groups: control mother/control father, obese mother/control father, and obese father/control mother. All F1 animals were weaned onto standard chow and underwent a learning test at 4 months of age, after which several markers of glutamate‐mediated synaptic plasticity together with the expression of miRNAs targeting glutamate receptors and the concentration of kynurenic and quinolinic acids were quantified in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Results: Maternal obesity induced a severe learning deficit by impairing memory encoding and memory consolidation. The offspring of obese fathers also showed reduced memory encoding but not impaired long‐term memory formation. Memory deficits in offspring of obese fathers and obese mothers were associated with a down‐regulation of genes encoding NMDA glutamate receptors subunits and several learning‐related genes along with impaired expression of miR‐296 and miR‐146b and increased concentration of kynurenic acid. Conclusion: Paternal and maternal obesity impair offspring's learning abilities by affecting different processes of memory formation. These cognitive deficits are associated with epigenetic and neurochemical alterations leading to impaired glutamate‐mediated synaptic plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although high school completion rates for Latinx adolescents have improved, rural Latinx youth experience more barriers to academic success than their urban counterparts. Using a culturally informed model, we tested prospective associations between adolescents' Wave 1 familism values (cultural values emphasizing the importance of family relationships and connections) and Wave 2 academic competencies in a sample of predominantly rural Latinx adolescents (N = 123) in the U.S. Midwest. We also examined whether youth-reports of mother's and father's warm parenting at Wave 1 and 2 moderated these associations. Familism values predicted higher self-reported school attachment and academic aspirations and expectations. Neither maternal nor paternal warmth predicted school attachment, academic aspirations, or academic expectations. Maternal warmth at Wave 2, but not at Wave 1, moderated the positive associations between familism and academic aspirations and expectations. These associations were more pronounced under circumstances of low maternal warmth. Paternal warmth did not significantly moderate the proposed associations predicting academic aspirations and expectations. Paternal warmth at Wave 1, but not at Wave 2, moderated the positive association between familism and school attachment. This association was stronger in the context of low paternal warmth. Results emphasize the joint roles of culture and parenting context for fostering academic competence in Latinx youth living in primarily rural regions of the Midwest during a critical developmental stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to a growing body of scholarly discussions around the many aspects and challenges of combining parenthood with elite-level sport, with a particular focus on the experiences of male elite athletes who are fathers. We used a caring masculinities theoretical framework, community-based participatory research, and semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of 10 elite/international and world-class athletes (n = 9 fathers, n = 1 expectant father). Through reflexive thematic analysis, we identified three main themes: fatherhood can (1) improve and (2) impede elite athlete-fathers' athletic performance; and (3) athlete-fathers experience a trade-off between athletic performance and fatherhood responsibilities. Our findings underscore the ways in which male athletes' experiences with parenthood reflect the new era of involved fatherhood and are analogous to some of the identity tensions that have been reported with regard to the experiences of elite female athletes who are pregnant and/or mothers. Recognizing the impact of children on male athletes' athletic careers and the parallels between fatherhood, motherhood, and elite sport may lead to better support for athlete-fathers while also contributing to diminishing the expectation that women are primary caregivers to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stunting is a community health problem with significant impacts. The estimated prevalence rate of stunting was 24.4% in Indonesia and 25.7% in the Berau Regency. Stunting is a growth disorder caused by chronic malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life. It is characterized by a height-for-age Z-score below -2 standard deviations from the child growth standards median of the World Health Organization, an insufficient growth rate, and a reduced potential final height. The contributing factors to stunting include maternal variables, as mothers are the primary caregivers. The objective of this study was to determine the factors for stunting and specifically investigate if there is a relationship between maternal employment and stunting in the Maratua District of Berau, Indonesia. This study used a cross-sectional research design. The sample size was determined using the Sample Size Calculator from the World Health Organization for a two-sided test (α = 0.05; β = 0.2; p1 = 0.63; p2 = 0.25; 95% CI). The data were collected from the nutrition report and anthropometric measurements at Maratua Primary Healthcare Center. The research was carried out at the Integrated Health Posts (Pos Layanan Terpadu/Posyandu) in the Maratua District. The toddlers (n = 56) were examined with their parental consent. Toddlers with overnutrition, obesity, and acute infectious diseases were excluded from this study. The data were processed using Chi-square and Fisher tests (p < 0.05). In the analysis, no significant relationship was found between stunting and maternal employment. However, the results revealed that fathers who were not fishermen had a 6.3 times greater risk of having stunted toddlers compared to fathers who worked as fishermen. Fathers with a junior high school degree showed a 6.1 times higher risk of having stunted toddlers than fathers with different educational levels. In conclusion, stunting in the Maratua District is associated with the fathers' educational attainment and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing up with a nonresident biological father has been portrayed as problematic for different aspects of father–child relationships, but it is unclear whether experiencing nonresidential fatherhood is less problematic in countries where this family structure is more common and thus probably less stigmatized. Cross-country research into nonresidential fatherhood is scarce, especially including Caribbean countries where many children grow up without their biological father in the home. This study examined associations between nonresidential fatherhood and father–child relationship quality and fathers' parenting behaviors among Curaçaoan and Dutch adolescents and young adults. Curaçaoan (n = 450) and Dutch (n = 585) participants completed a digital questionnaire in class, using the same procedures on Curaçao and in the Netherlands. We estimated structural equation models of perceived avoidant and anxious father–child attachment and paternal emotional warmth, rejection, and monitoring for both groups separately because of measurement variance across countries. Nonresidential fatherhood was unrelated to perceptions of most aspects of father–child relationships among both Curaçaoan and Dutch participants. This study adds an important cross-country perspective to the current literature on nonresidential fatherhood and tentatively suggests that correlates of nonresidential fatherhood for father–child relationships might be less evident than previous studies suggest. Instead, young people's socioeconomic status (SES) and the frequency of contact between fathers and children seem to be more important for father–child attachment and paternal rearing behaviors. Further research across demographic characteristics and child outcomes is required to understand whether, when, and how nonresidence of the biological father might affect child well-being and development in different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article seeks to purvey a moral philosophical foundation to the apostolic letter. The apostolic letter speaks pointedly of the fatherhood crisis as an issue that needs moral philosophical atrention. The research will use two methods: the philosophical (content) analysis and applied ethical theories. Philosophical analysis is a general term for techniques typically used by philosophers in the analytic tradition that involve breaking down philosophical issues in order to bring clarity, consistence, and coherence. The method is used to analyse concepts like parenthood, fatherhood and shepherdship. Applied ethics is a philosophical examination, from a moral point of view, of particular issues in private and public life which are matters of judgement. However, the punch line, ‘Children today often seem orphans, lacking fathers’, is a direct moral challenge that calls for the application of the ethical theory of hunhu/ubuntu because love is hunhu/ubuntu’s character, nature and responsibility. From hunhu/ubuntu’s view point, I argue that one must acquire personhood primarily first in order to be a father. In hunhu/ubuntu, personhood and fatherhood are dynamic concepts; morally achieved and acquired. Hunhu/ubuntu is not asking that we replace God as the author of our being, but rather that our being as persons in the world is substantially of our own making. As such, we have a victory to win, and the path to that victory lies in the part of our lived morality (hunhu/ubuntu). God created us, but we must mould ourselves into the persons that God wants us to be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trans identities are increasingly subjected to contentious public and political debate in the UK, and this has resulted in resource to the law across various contexts. Against that background, this paper considers trans legal parenthood after the decision in R (McConnell and YY) v Registrar General for England and Wales. This judgment held that a trans man who gave birth was the legal 'mother' of his child. The wider consequence is that trans legal parenthood will not reflect trans identities, but birth-assigned sex/gender, regardless of whether the parent holds a gender recognition certificate. Separate from this underlying social and political context concerning trans identities, the paper argues that legal parenthood is a flexible and pragmatic concept, which lacks inherent normative content, and which has previously proved capable of accommodating a variety of different familial and reproductive circumstances. The paper argues that the gendered descriptors of 'mother' and 'father', while remaining the law's default, are not inherent to legal parenthood. Thus, the paper concludes that, despite the ongoing political and cultural debates concerning trans identities, the existing concept of legal parenthood is capable of properly recognising trans parenthood, without requiring any fundamental changes to the concept itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Today there is an aspiration and desire for fathers to be caring masculinities that build long‐term father‐child relationships and emotional presence with their children. Previous research shows that life changes where fathers are deprived of the opportunity for equal parenting and close contact with their children affect the fathers' lives and mental health. The aim of this caring science study is thereby to gain a deeper understanding of life and ethical values when undergoing paternal alienation and experiencing involuntary loss of paternity. Design, Research Methods, and Participants: The study has a qualitative design. The data collection was carried out in 2021 through individual in‐depth interviews according to Kvale and Brinkmann. The five fathers who participated in the interviews had experiences of undergoing paternal alienation and involuntary loss of paternity. The interviews were analysed with a reflexive thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke. Results: Three main themes emerged. Putting yourself aside includes forgetting one's own needs and prioritising the children's and being the best version of oneself for them. In playing with the cards you have been dealt lies an acceptance of life as it has become and also a responsibility not to let the grief take over, by creating new patterns for everyday life and holding up hope. Keeping your dignity as a human being includes being heard, affirmed and consoled, and a form of re‐awakening one's dignity as a human being. Conclusion: It is fundamental to understand the grief, longing and sacrifice that paternal alienation and involuntary loss of paternity cause human life and how every day can be a struggle to hold on to hope, find comfort and reconcile with the situation. The fundamental foundation that makes life worth living is love and responsibility for the good of the children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fathers make important contributions to children's learning and development; however, schools and community organizations consistently report challenges to engaging fathers in their work. As part of a larger community-based participatory research project, a local fatherhood coalition created and distributed a survey to learn how various organizations and programs supported or marginalized fathers in their work. A mixed methods analysis of survey data indicated that K-12 schools were significantly less father-friendly than social service organizations, with K-12 schools disclosing that little to no services targeted fathers and most family engagement efforts prioritized mothers or assumed father disinterest. Comparatively, some social service organizations reported father-specific programming or early efforts to change policies and practices that unjustly favored mothers. However, most organizations, including K-12 schools, needed greater guidance and resources to become more father-friendly. In this article, we describe how the fatherhood coalition utilized survey results to guide their efforts in supporting local fathers and transforming organizational practices to make family-related programming and activities more inclusive of fathers and other male caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid national trends in postponed parenthood and more diverse family structures, the fatherhood identity may be important to men's sexual behaviors. This study examined factors associated with reports of consistent contraceptive use and multiple sexual partners across fatherhood status. Using public data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), Wave V (2016–2018), two sexual behaviors were examined among 1,163 men aged 32 to 42 years. Outcomes were two binary indicators: consistent contraceptive use with partner and having multiple (≥2) sexual partners in the past year. Fatherhood status was categorized as nonfather, resident father, and nonresident father. Demographic (e.g., race/ethnicity, education, income, and relationship type) and health-related (e.g., drinking, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and insurance status) factors were considered. Logistic regression analysis produced odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals and were stratified by fatherhood categories. In the sample, 72% of men were resident fathers, 10% were nonresident fathers, and 18% were nonfathers; 28% reported consistent contraceptive use and 16% reported multiple sexual partners. For nonfathers, relationship type and race were associated with reporting multiple sexual partners. For resident fathers, relationship type was the crucial factor associated with consistent contraceptive use and reporting multiple sexual partners. In nonresident fathers, relationship type, education, and income were important factors to consistent contraceptive use and reporting multiple sexual partners. Key findings suggest that relationship type, income, and education are crucial factors to men's sexual behavior. Heterogeneous effects were observed across fatherhood status. This study adds to limited research on fatherhood and sexual behavior among men transitioning from young adulthood to middle age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This book review discusses the edited volume "Embodiment, Identity, and Gender in the Early Modern Age," which pays tribute to historian Merry Wiesner-Hanks. The book is divided into three parts, exploring topics such as the body and manifestations of gender, women's involvement in reform and self-determination, and gendered dynamics of displacement and conflict. The essays cover a range of subjects, including trial by ordeal, Martin Luther's views on virginity, and women's roles in property rights and court cases. The review notes that the book lacks consideration of race, but overall, it is a valuable resource for researchers studying early modern women and gender. [Extracted from the article]

This article looks at fatherhood and fathering as performative practices. Based on ethnographic fieldwork among middle-class fathers in urban Côte d'Ivoire, it explores intimate fathering as both an exceptional practice and a reinterpretation of hegemonic masculinities. Intimate fathering offers an alternative way of living for Ivorian men, who use it to renegotiate and reevaluate gender roles and relations between nuclear and extended families and to craft imaginaries of father-child relationships that differ greatly from their own experiences as children. I address here two blind spots in the study of contemporary parenting in Africa: paternal performances of care, often neglected in the literature in favor of mothering, and the dominant discourse of African fatherhood in crisis, highlighting a more nuanced view of engaged fatherhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to explore the role of fathers in caring for early childhood children in Javanese culture. The phenomenon of fatherlessness in parenting is increasingly widespread in Indonesia. The Javanese tribe, one of the largest ethnic groups in Indonesia, was the sample in this research. The research method used is qualitative research with an ethnoparenting approach. The research locus was determined based on the subject's domicile, which was the Wonolelo area, Pleret, Bantul, Yogyakarta. The snowball technique was used as a method in selecting respondents. Involving 14 families as participants, the data was collecting through direct observation and interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The research results show that the role of the father in the Javanese tribe of Wonolelo Village is still the same as the role of most fathers in Indonesia, namely as a decision maker and as a leader, the economic provider, where the family still adheres to a patriarchal culture. Fathers do not always directly involve in parenting at children's daily life. Fathers play more of a role as disciplinarians, role models in carrying out religious teachings, cultural and social traditions. The mother dominates the parenting role at home. It is essential for fathers to increase their parenting role by interacting directly to meet children's psychological and physiological needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male life history strategies are regulated by the neuroendocrine system. Testosterone (T) and cortisol regulate male behaviors including parenting and facilitate managing tradeoffs at key transitions in development such as first-time fatherhood. Both hormones demonstrate marked fluctuations in the postnatal period, and this presents an opportunity to investigate the role of T and cortisol in postpartum depressive symptoms--comparably less studied in fathers than in mothers in the evolutionary literature. Prior work on depressive symptoms has yet to integrate insights from the "dual hormone hypothesis (DHH)" which has focused on how T and cortisol interact to jointly regulate traits associated with dominance and status-seeking (i.e., mating effort) but has yet to be included in models of parenting effort. In this research, we use secondary data to investigate the relationship between DHH and traits ostensibly opposed to status seeking (i.e., depressive symptoms). First-time fathers (n = 193) provided morning saliva samples 10 months following parturition and reported on the presence of depressive symptoms (BDI-II). Responses were decomposed into three factors: cognitive, affective, and somatic. Using hybrid latent variable structural equation modeling, we did not find evidence that T predicted variability in cognitive, affective, or somatic depressive symptom factors. We found a null effect for cortisol as well. Finally, we could not find evidence that the DHH variable (T × cortisol interaction) predicted any variability in cognitive, affective, or somatic depressive symptoms. While we did not find evidence to support our hypotheses using a secondary data set, this study contributes to research on the neuroendocrinology of depression in fathers. Discussion focuses on the limitations of sample demographics, timing of saliva and self-report collection, and the lack of extant theory specific to paternal postpartum depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite continuing progress, men remain underrepresented in childcare, domestic labor, and other care work. Because parental leave is discussed as a gateway to increasing men's childcare engagement, we aimed to gain insights into predictors of men's parental leave-taking intentions during the transition to parenthood. Using outcomes on a continuum from behavioral preferences to more behavior-oriented measures, we examine how masculinity and fatherhood beliefs as well as social support become relevant during men's formation of their leave-taking intentions. Planned analyses of data collected from 143 expectant fathers in Belgium and Germany revealed that the support men perceive from their partners for taking leave predicts their parental leave-taking desire, intention, and planned length of leave. Moreover, men's conception of a prototypical man, especially in terms of agency, was linked to their desire to take leave. Against expectations, father role attitudes and workplace support did not emerge as relevant predictors of men's intended leave-taking. Results of exploratory analyses suggest that care engagement of peers, expected backlash, and self-efficacy beliefs additionally play a role in men's intended leave-taking. We discuss parental leave as a negotiation process within couples and review the role of men's normative environment for their intended leave-taking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study interrogates the association of parenting style with adolescents' physical activity (PA) motivation while accounting for specific parental PA practices (i.e., monitoring, encouragement, and modeling) as a mediating mechanism in this context. The sample comprised 143 adolescent boys (Mage = 14.43, SD = 1.60) and 165 adolescent girls (Mage = 14.13, SD = 1.66), who participated in an online survey. Participants were asked to complete various questionnaires, which include the Self-Motivation Inventory for Children, the Parental Authority Questionnaire, and several scales of parental PA-related practices. Boys reported significantly higher parental PA-related practices and higher PA motivation than girls. Path models used to test research hypotheses indicated that authoritative parenting was indirectly associated with adolescents' PA self-motivation through parental PA-related practices as mediators, whereas paternal authoritarian parenting had a similar but smaller positive effect on boys' PA motivation. The indirect association of paternal authoritative parenting with adolescents' PA motivation through PA-related practices was stronger for girls than for boys, suggesting that an authoritative fatherhood climate is more influential on girls' PA motivation. Consistent with the reciprocal role theory, our observations suggest that fathers' parenting, rather than mothers' parenting, tends to discern more between boys and girls in advocating child's PA. The study's conclusions and practical implications are discussed in terms of sex-based variations in parental influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Social support, as a multidimensional concept, is studied across disciplines. However, examining the concept in relation to first-time fathers in the perinatal period remains an underexplored avenue. This analysis aims to clarify what social support for first-time fathers means through an operational definition that will assist healthcare providers in supporting fathers as valuable assets to the wellbeing of their partners and children. Design. Walker and Avant's concept analysis approach is used to identify the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of social support for first-time fathers during the perinatal period. Data Source. A thorough title and abstract review led to the analysis of 41 articles from databases, including MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, the Social Sciences Citation Index, and Embase databases from 1970 to 2022. Results. Social support for first-time fathers can be described as a relational strategy and supportive intervention from both informal and formal sources. This concept analysis broadens the meaning of social support by considering structural and functional attributes. It offers fresh insights into how support can be coordinated across microsystems and macrosystems to address the distinctive requirements of current-day fathers within the intricate family dynamics. Furthermore, gender, cultural, and generational differences affect the preferences and needs of fathers, as well as their ability to support their partners and infants. Fathers preferred emotional support from their partners and sought informational and appraisal support from healthcare professionals. In addition, supportive relationships are characterized by proximity, reciprocity, congruency, and continuity during the perinatal period. Conclusion. Conceptualizing social support encompasses both upstream and downstream approaches across structures and systems to support fathers. Support for first-time fathers includes developing father-specific approaches to perinatal nursing care and practice. Social support carries implications for fostering socially inclusive policies, interdisciplinary curriculum integration, advocacy, and research aimed at improving paternal mental health and perinatal wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite wide public support for gender equality in work and caregiving, family responsibilities are still divided predominantly along traditional gender lines. This study examined the role of biological essentialism in the division of family roles using a nationally representative sample of British parents with young children (N = 5,605). Both mothers' and fathers' essentialist beliefs about men's and women's innate ability to care for children were associated with a more traditional division of childcare tasks, more hours of childcare provided by the mother, and fewer hours of childcare provided by the father. When gender role attitudes were considered together with biological essentialism, only essentialism was a significant predictor of involvement in childcare. Finally, the results supported our predictions that the effect of biological essentialism is mediated through parents' work hours, and that essentialism affects mothers' and fathers' involvement in work and childcare in opposite directions. Taken together, the findings suggest that essentialist beliefs are a key hindrance to greater gender equality because they motivate parents to divide roles according to traditional gender norms. These findings may be of particular interest to practitioners and policy makers interested in increasing fathers' involvement in childcare, mothers' participation in the labor force, and overall gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formerly incarcerated individuals face numerous hardships during reentry that may increase their risk for future reincarceration. Documenting the expectations and experiences individuals have for reentry may shed new light on the United States' high reincarceration rate and inform interventions. Using data from the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering (MFS-IP), this study describes incarcerated fathers' expectations for reentry and examines whether unmet expectations increase risk for short-term reincarceration. The analytic sample consisted of 346 Black and White fathers who provided data on expectations for support, financial stability, and family relationships during incarceration and their experiences in each domain after release. Descriptive analyses revealed variability in terms of whether fathers expect to have their needs met upon reentry and whether needs are actually met. Logistic regressions that were stratified by race and included controls for theoretically relevant variables suggested that expectations did not predict reincarceration. Moreover, among White fathers, unmet expectations were inversely associated with risk for short-term reincarceration. Results are discussed in terms of implications for future theory, research, and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little effort has been made to integrate developmental cascades with maternal/paternal parenting in a single investigation. The present study seeks to test cascading effects among academic and internalizing/externalizing symptoms and their associations with maternal/paternal parenting across three time points from 8 to 10 years. Data for this investigation came from a nationally representative prospective cohort study of children born in April through July of 2008 in South Korea who were followed up annually. The sample included 1,598 families (48.5% girls). Parents rated their parenting and teachers rated children's internalizing/externalizing problems and academic performance. Structural equation modeling showed that externalizing problems were negatively related to academic performance. Academic performance was negatively related to internalizing problems and positively related to maternal/paternal authoritative parenting, which in turn led to children's higher academic performance. Bidirectional relations were found between academic performance and externalizing problems and between paternal authoritative parenting and children's internalizing problems. Findings suggested cascading effects and their associations with parenting were not attributable to child gender, intelligence, or socioeconomic differences. These findings lend support to adjustment erosion and academic incompetence models and underscore the need for greater attention to the role that fathering may play in children's development and mothering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article foregrounds the working experience of a knowledge worker in the United Kingdom across three years (2019–2022) that included periods of 'lockdown' and other social restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Across seven separate interview extracts, it offers a longitudinal narrative on the lived experience of substituting a workday comprising a long-distance commute by car to work 'standard' hours for an extended workday telecommuting from home. Over time the worker paradoxically recognises that telecommuting entails added pressures of work intensification, extensification and greater domestic responsibility but this is preferable to returning to a long-distance dissatisfying commute. The reflexive narrative reveals how he embraces the pressures of telecommuting through job crafting to re-identify as an autonomous professional and more engaged care-giving parent. The article contributes to the literature on hybrid/flexible forms of work organisation emerging from the pandemic by indicating the importance of micro-level considerations and implications for gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of family well-being relates to the eco-theological discourse, ecology and family. Father absence, gender-based violence (GBV), and moral and values quandaries are social ills in society and are linked with eco-theology by shared values. Ecological issues are pressing concerns in the modern world. This article asserts that eco-theology, a form of constructive theology, focuses on the intricate connections among religion, nature, society, the church, and, notably, the 'family' as a vital social unit. From a theological perspective, human beings and the relationships in which they function, are grounded in the very Being of God. However, societal perspectives often depict families as afflicted, fractured entities marred by violence. Disruptions in family life reverberate throughout society, undermining its foundational moral fabric. Amid significant shifts in family structures, South Africa is observing a growing prevalence of fractured relationships, further exacerbating societal challenges. Scriptural teachings, part of the intervention, offer guidance for navigating life's complexities, including within the family, faith communities and broader society (2 Tim 3:16). Thus, this article aims to contribute insights to this critical discourse. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article underscores the role of pastoral care within practical theology, particularly in addressing prevalent social challenges encountered by families. These challenges encompass issues such as father absence, divorce, erosion of values and immoral behaviour. The imperative for developing pastoral care strategies to tackle these issues is evident. These strategies may involve equipping families with necessary skills and support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of paternal involvement in the spiritual development of families in the United States is a pressing pastoral issue. Studies indicate low levels of religiosity among Catholic fathers. Insufficient catechesis focused on equipping fathers to guide their families in making spiritual progress may contribute to this issue.The Church calls for a renewed evangelization and catechization of fathers on their pivotal role in their families' spiritual development. This pastoral strategy seeks to respond to this appeal by educating fathers on their distinctive role in the family according to psychological and sociological research, as well as the scriptural and theological foundations of their participation in Christ's priestly office imparted through Baptism. It then presents interior mental prayer as an exercise of the baptismal priesthood by which father can guide their families to holiness.To inspire fathers to be involved in their families' spiritual development, this strategy proposes five catechetical sessions to empower fathers to live out their baptismal priesthood by guiding their families to holiness through the practice of interior mental prayer. These five sessions include lectures, mystagogical reflections on The Order of Baptism for Children , group discussions, and practicum exercises in which fathers learn how to guide their families in different methods of mental prayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the mediating effect of life satisfaction between parental involvement and academic achievement orientation in a sample of Chilean adolescents. Life satisfaction is conceptualised as a family resource that adolescents utilise to manage their school life. Two statistical models were adjusted using data from a subsample of 426 students in 9th to 11th grade, derived from the National Survey on Student Trajectories and Transitions in Chile. The first analysis examines the mediating role of life satisfaction between parental involvement, specifically of both father and mother and achievement orientation. The findings suggest that life satisfaction almost completely mediates the effect of paternal involvement on achievement orientation, while maternal involvement exerts a partial effect through life satisfaction. The second analysis assesses the moderating effect of the adolescent's gender on the relationship mediated by life satisfaction. The results show that gender moderates the mediation for maternal involvement, but not for paternal. This study highlights the importance of adolescents' life satisfaction as an essential mediator between family and school contexts, also emphasising the moderating effect that gender composition in relationships between parents and adolescents has on this mediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of masculinity and fatherhood of male school leaders and their perceptions associated with leadership practice. We used purposive sampling to recruit male Israeli school leaders for participation in the study. We collected the data by semi-structured interviews, which we then subjected to thematic analysis. The results indicate that the participants were divided between hegemonic and caring views of masculinity. By contrast, two-thirds of the leaders held an emotional view of fatherhood, and only one-third had an instrumental view. The results shed light also on the perceived connection of leaders' masculinity and fatherhood views with their leadership practice. The findings and contributions of the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional distress and the difficulty of seeking help and psychotherapeutic support are more characteristic of the male gender. Males grow up adhering to the model of the ‘real man’, a model often impregnated with gender stereotypes that force them to adhere to a gender role in which the emotional experience is often denied or invalidated and the request for help is experienced as an individual vulnerability and not as a resource to face a developmental or life challenge. This often leaves males, both developmental and adult, in a condition of emotional illiteracy that can be prodromal and preparatory to problems of clinical and social relevance, up to and including gender-based violence. This article addresses the issue of men’s emotional distress, reading it as a phenomenon rooted in the gender role favoured by the socio-cultural context and highlighting the role that could be played by primary and secondary prevention and by educational intervention in the school and community context as facilitators of change, evolution and promotion of the psycho-emotional well-being of future generations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) is a prevalent disorder among adolescents. To date, most studies focused on the self-report assessment of individuals without assessing possible parental practices that might alleviate or exacerbate adolescents' CSB. In the present research, I adopted the family systematic approach, which considers the effects of family context on children's and adolescents' development and examined whether and how parental (fathers' and mothers') support giving, communication, and restrictive mediation relate to children's current and future severity of CSB. The sample comprised 300 Israeli families [triad of mothers, fathers, and one adolescent (39% boys, 61% girls; age 14–18)]. Results indicate that maternal support and paternal quality of communication with children significantly predicted lower severity of current and future CSB, respectively. These findings highlight an important and understudied topic in the hope of motivating additional researchers and practitioners to adopt a familial, microsystem perspective on healthy sexual development—a perspective that holds great promise in promoting normal sexual development and in decreasing risky sexual behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Paternal postnatal depression (PPD) symptomology has been positively associated with poorer outcomes for children. One mechanism by which PPD is thought to influence child outcomes is through parenting. The current study investigated the association between paternal postnatal depressive symptoms and parenting behaviours. Method: Fathers (N = 213) with an infant (mean age = 7 months, 46% female) between 2 and 12 months old were recruited through community and social media advertisements, as well as a paid survey recruitment website. Fathers completed a questionnaire on their symptoms of PPD and how they care for and raise their child (parental warmth, irritability, engagement in enrichment, play and safety behaviours). Results: Fathers experiencing greater levels of PPD symptomatology self‐reported higher irritability, lower warmth and fewer safe parenting behaviours but did not report lower enrichment or play with their infants. Conclusion: Overall, findings suggest that PPD symptomology may impact negatively on aspects of fathers' parenting behaviours. Further research using larger and more diverse samples is needed to assess the generalisability of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last several decades, research has demonstrated the adverse impact incarceration has on sustaining and strengthening familial bonds. Physical and communication barriers are often noted as lead sources of strain in relationships between incarcerated individuals and their loved ones. Studies have shown that the financial burden of prison can also have deleterious impacts on the family reintegration process upon release, particularly for minoritized populations. The current study adds to the discussion on collateral consequences of the carceral state by introducing temporal debt ; a novel concept similar to financial debt in that it results from oppressive policies and builds over generations. Findings detail how the carceral state impacts fathers' regard for temporal provision and enters Black men into a cycle of temporal poverty. The results encourage readers to consider novel means of addressing harm and violence to decrease the perpetuation of familial harm committed by the criminal legal system beyond reformist efforts that often aim to ease parenting from prison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though Basque director Alauda Ruiz de Azua’s debut film, Cinco lobitos, revolves around motherhood and its two female characters bear the heavyweight of the narrative, set in a historically perceived matriarchal society, such as the Basque Country, the two male supporting roles—that of the young father and the old grandfather of the newborn child—are critical to articulate the film’s underlying discourse on the complex and evolving relationships amongst the members of a family unit—whether it be the result of a traditional marriage (that of the grandparents) or a modern partnership (the young couple). Despite their age difference and distinct upbringing, the two male characters mirror each other in their embodiment of an emotionally absent life partner and paternal figure who prioritizes his role as a provider rather than a caregiver. Hence, intertwined with the struggles of maternity and its acute impact on women’s life choices, the portrayal of fatherhood in this film equally reflects on the evolution of the paternal role throughout a man’s life and in Basque society, while it evokes that the traditionally assigned gender roles echo across generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there has been an increasing interest in the notion of involved fatherhood, few studies have examined how fathers who work part-time and engage in child-rearing make sense of this experience. The present study explores how part-time working fathers positioned themselves in terms of their 'at home' and 'at work' identities. Thematic analysis was used to examine 30 interviewees' accounts of their experiences. Three central themes were identified: (1) choosing to work part-time, (2) benefits of working part-time, and (3) contrasts with fathers as 'breadwinners'. A common feature in all of these themes was interviewees' flexible transition between traditional and nontraditional types of masculinity. The ways in which part-time working fathers positioned themselves as caring for children while maintaining attachment to more traditional types of masculinity are considered in terms of implications for theory and for fathers' personal development. At a time where expectations of fathers engaged in child-rearing are increasing, the results of this study could be drawn on in the area of personal development to support men in forming new strategies around fathering practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]