Contact With Dad Means
Better Language Skills
NEW YORK, Dec 13 (Reuters Health) -- "Wait till your
father gets home!" used to be a mother's ultimate threat. But with the two-parent
household becoming less and less common, University of Maryland researchers set out to
study how important contact with dad is to children's development. They found that even
when fathers do not live at home, children whose fathers are actively involved in their
lives tend to have better cognitive and language skills and fewer behavior problems.
"We found that fathers who are involved with their
children have children with fewer problems," according to lead investigator Dr.
Maureen Black. "That added involvement from a father helps children
tremendously."
Black and colleagues studied 175 three-year-old
African-American children, most of whose mothers were receiving public assistance.
Seventy-three percent of these mothers reported that their child's biological father or
another father figure had at least monthly contact with their children. Of these
identified fathers, 64% were interviewed and observed playing with their children.
The researchers wanted to see how aspects of father
involvement were related to the children's cognitive development, language ability, and
behavior. They found that both mothers' and fathers' satisfaction with parenting were
significantly related to the children's cognitive abilities and to their behavior. Whether
the father lived with the child was not related to either of these factors.
Maternal education and whether fathers contributed
financially were also predictive of the children's language development and behavior. And
where fathers lived with the child, "the home was more child-centered,"
according to the report.
Writing in a recent issue of Child Development, Black and
her colleagues conclude that their findings support "the importance of father-child
interaction to children's well-being." They also note that rather than just looking
at whether the biological father lives with the child, researchers need to "consider
father roles from functional and cultural perspectives."
"Fathers definitely play an important part in
children's development," added study co-author Dr. Howard Dubowitz in a statement.
"I think these results show that our society should develop family-oriented policies
and programs that promote positive father involvement."
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