This dissertation contributes to the literature on fathers’ parenting in families with young children using longitudinal, hormonal, and observational data. The results in Chapter 2 demonstrated... Show moreThis dissertation contributes to the literature on fathers’ parenting in families with young children using longitudinal, hormonal, and observational data. The results in Chapter 2 demonstrated that fathers’ hostile and harsh behaviors were related to children’s bullying behavior in elementary school, whereas the effect of the mothers’ behavior was less pronounced. In Chapter 3, the results suggested that fathers’ testosterone is beneficial for the quality of fathers’ parenting (i.e., sensitivity) when fathers’ testosterone reacts in the expected direction given the context of the father-child interaction (i.e., a decrease during a harmonious interaction and an increase during a challenging interaction). The results in Chapter 4 unexpectedly showed that fathers’ sensitivity was largely independent of varying gender-typed contexts. Chapter 5 provided evidence for a specific role of religious fathers, but not mothers, in communicating implicit gender messages and in turn the development of children’s gender attitudes. The most important take-away from this dissertation is that fathers cannot be ignored in child developmental and parenting research, and consequently also in child and family interventions. Show less
Lubbe, A. van der; Swaab, H.; Vermeiren, R.R.J.M.; Ester, W.A. 2022
Mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience chronic stress and are at risk for adverse health. However, little is known about fathers, especially when their child is in... Show moreMothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience chronic stress and are at risk for adverse health. However, little is known about fathers, especially when their child is in early childhood. Parenting stress, eating behavior and physical health was evaluated in mothers (n = 48) and fathers (n = 43) of young children (3-7 years) with ASD by questionnaires and physical measurements. Mother's prevalence rates of obesity (39.1%), abdominal obesity (59.6%) and metabolic syndrome (21.6%) were higher than the norm. In fathers, the prevalence rate of clinical parenting stress (33%) was higher than the norm. Parenting stress was positively related to disinhibited eating in mothers, not in fathers. It is crucial to monitor stress and health of parents of children with ASD. Show less
Fang, Y.; Grieken, A. van; Fierloos, I.N.; Windhorst, D.A.; Jonkman, H.; Hosman, C.M.H.; ... ; Raat, H. 2021
Background A high parenting self-efficacy (PSE) has been associated with positive parenting and positive child development. However, there is limited and inconsistent information on factors... Show moreBackground A high parenting self-efficacy (PSE) has been associated with positive parenting and positive child development. However, there is limited and inconsistent information on factors associated with PSE. Objective To investigate factors associated with PSE in parents of children aged 0-7 years old, and to explore whether the associations were different between mothers and fathers. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline data from a prospective cohort study: the CIKEO study. A total of 1012 parents (mean age = 33.8, SD = 5.0) completed self-reported measure of PSE and 18 potential factors associated with PSE. Results Multivariable models revealed that lower parenting stress, fewer child behavior problems, better eating behavior, better parental and child general health, a smaller number of children living in the household, higher perceived level of social support and having a migration background were associated with higher levels of PSE (p < 0.05). The association between family functioning and PSE differed between mothers and fathers (p for interaction = 0.003): with beta and 95% confidence interval being: 1.29 (- 2.05, 0.87), and 0.23 (- 0.46, 3.29), respectively. Conclusions A range of parental, child and social-contextual factors in relation to PSE were identified. The patterns of associations for most of the factors were similar among mothers and fathers. However, the association between family functioning and PSE might differ for mothers and fathers. Our findings are relevant for tailoring and implementing successful interventions and effective policy making in child care. Show less
