Editor’s note: A previous version of this article stated that Rutger’s University was located in Canada. That was an error; the university is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey with another one in Newark, NJ as well.
We are now learning just how important a father’s role is in the development of their children. A father is a unique individual in a child’s life. While a mother is able to take on both roles, there is no denying the fact that having an active and engaging father in a child’s life can only benefit their health and wellbeing. Sometimes, the lack of a father figure is out of anyone’s control, but when the bond is available to creating, the relationship should be fostered.
Studies have found that having an active father in a child’s life can help to improve their mental health and behavior. This was reported by both Rutgers and Science Daily, and it showed the findings from a recent study that was conducted.
Researchers from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, found that youth in low-income families whose fathers were actively engaged in their lives grew up to have fewer behavioral and emotional problems then their peers who did not have that. Fathers who show active engagement were the ones who were a presently part of feeding, reading, playing and other activities. Also included were those who financially provide for their child with food and clothes.
Lenna Nepomnyaschy, an associate professor at the university, stated that children who lived in lower socioeconomic status families and did not have actively engaged fathers tended to have more behavioral problems, showing a direct link in the relationship between an active father and a child’s mental health.
Researchers looked at 5,000 children born between 1998 – 2000. They focused on the engagement of fathers between the ages of 5 to 15. They then looked at the prevalence of certain behaviors in children, things like crying, worrying, fighting, bullying, and skipping school.
It was recognized that sometimes, a father’s inability to engage with his children is out of his control, due to his wage and the way he is viewed and treated by society. The study is urging for more care to be placed into programs that can assist these fathers, so that they have an easier time being an involved parent. They are calling on those who make the policies to look at wage, employment and criminal justice policies when it comes to supporting these men. Changes in these areas will likely increase the chances that a father can have this relationship with his children.
Sources: Science Daily, Rutgers