Associations between Fathers’ Prebirth Pregnancy Intentions and Involvement with Their Child 15 Months Later: A Propensity Score Analysis

Abstract

Objective: This study examined whether fathers’ prebirth pregnancy intentions were associated with fathers’ involvement with his child 15 months later. Method: Propensity score matching was used to assess the effects of fathers’ pregnancy intentions (self-reported before the birth of the child) on three measures of father involvement (residency with child, engagement in caregiving activities, and engagement in social cognitive play) in a large sample of young, diverse, and low-income fathers (N = 2,008). Results: In this sample matched on sociodemographic and interpersonal factors, fathers reporting an intended pregnancy had significantly higher levels of social and cognitive play with their child, compared to fathers reporting an unintended pregnancy. However, intentions were not significantly associated with fathers’ residency with child or caregiving activities. Conclusion: Results suggest that fathers’ pregnancy intentions are predictive of certain types of father involvement and emphasize the importance of controlling for factors associated with both fathers’ intentions and involvement.

Keywords

childcare father–child relationship gender and family parent/child relations research methods

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