Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Studies have found that the father is a child's preferred attachment figure in approximately 5–20% of cases. [1] [2] [3] Fathers and mothers may react differently to the same behaviour in an infant, and the infant may react to the parents' behaviour differently depending on which parent performs it.
For example, children raised with significant positive father involvement display greater empathy, higher self-esteem, increased curiosity, higher verbal skills, and higher scores of cognitive competence." [7] Increasingly, the responsible fatherhood movement has defined itself by focusing on the development of healthy father-child relationships.
Statistics show that fathers' levels of testosterone tend to decline several months before the birth of the child. Since high testosterone levels are linked to more aggressive behaviour, low levels may enhance the ability to develop a new relationship bond. [4] [5] Fathers also have an important bonding role after the child is born.
In addition to these findings, researchers have used the data to examine the importance of fathers in young adults’ lives, [19] childhood sleep, [22] adolescent relationships, [23] child protective service contact, [24] exposure to deadly gun violence, [25] eviction prevalence, [26] and law enforcement exposure, [27] among many other topics.
The International Dictionary of Psychology defines "father figure" as "A man to whom a person looks up and whom he treats like a father." [4] The APA Concise Dictionary of Psychology offers a more extensive definition: "a substitute for a person's biological father, who performs typical paternal functions and serves as an object of identification and attachment.
Other theories point to the importance of male role models and fathers in particular, for the development of children emotionally and cognitively, especially boys. [84] Even for fathers who may not be in the home, studies have shown that time spent with fathers has a positive relationship with psychological well-being including less depression ...
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
All programmes report substantial positive outcomes for children (e.g. cognitive, social and emotional development) and two of the programmes report significant improvements in adult parenting knowledge and the home environment. There are also some interesting patterns to the results that have important implications for future programme design.