Comparisons between paternal and maternal involvement with sons: early to middle childhood

Abstract

This study compared father–son and mother–son involvement in two-parent families from early to middle childhood. Ninety-four families were recruited for a three-year follow-up study that began when the children were four years old. At each time point, in comparison to mothers, fathers were less accessible to their son on weekdays, and spent more one-on-one time with their son on weekend days. Across the three-year period, differences were evident in patterns of father–son and mother–son participation in play and learning activities. Results revealed that parent–child conversations were a rich source of parental involvement during middle childhood with many boys having frequent conversations on a range of topics with both parents: covering shared activities and interests, relationships, daily activities, or involving cognitive stimulation. Findings highlight the importance of obtaining data from both fathers and mothers to provide insight into patterns of continuity and change in parental involvement over time.

Keywords:

• parental involvement
• fathers
• mothers
• early childhood
• middle childhood

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grants from the Auckland Medical Research Foundation, Oakley Mental Health Foundation, and the University of Auckland. Special thanks to Teresa Clark, Joy Davidson, Rachel Haselden, Richard Keown, Sundeia Lomberg, Dorothy MacArthur, and Heather Summerfield for help with data collection, processing, and coding.

Notes on contributors

Louise Keown is a developmental psychologist and senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research interests include typical and atypical behavioural and social development, with a specific focus on fathering and mothering and outcomes for children. She is also interested in parenting interventions.

Melanie Palmer is a PhD student at the Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research interests focus on child and adolescent development, especially typical and atypical social, emotional, and behavioural development; family influences on child and adolescent development; and family interventions.