The Fathers in Family Life
Keywords:
Family, Father's role, Fatherhood, Paternal involvement, Child developmentAbstract
This article discusses the father's perspective on family life. In spite of a consensus among researchers from
different disciplines about the importance and influence of the father in child development, and that nearly for 30 years, they
have been studying his role, the results are yet inconclusive. The main objective of this paper is to stimulate Brazilian researchers
to study the role of the father in child development, especially within the family context, providing an overview of what is
known currently about fathers in developmental psychology as well as giving some suggestions about the future trends in
father research. So, it discusses the following aspects: dimensions and factors which influence the paternal involvement,
especially within the family; fatherhood and family systems in transition; paternal influences on children; and, finally, why is
important to continue studying the father role.
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References
Ackerman-Ross, S. & Khanna, P. (1989). The relationship of high
quality day care to middle class 3-year-olds' language performance.
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 4, 97-166.
Aradine, C.R. & Ferketich, S. (1990). The psychological impact of
premature birth on mothers and fathers. Journal of Reproductive
and Infant Psychology, 8, 75-86.
Barnett, R.C. & Baruch, G.K. (1988). Correlates of fathers' participation
in family work. Em P. Bronstein & C.P. Cowan
(Orgs.), Fatherhood today: Men's changing role in the family
(pp. 66-78). New York: Wiley.
Baruch, G.K. & Barnett, R.C. (1986). Fathers' participation in family
work and children's sex-role attitudes. Child Development, 57,
1210-1223.
Belsky, J. (1990). Parental and nonparental care and children's socioemotional
development: A decade review. Journal of Marriage
and the Family, 52, 885-903.
Bem, S. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 45, 196-205.
Bentley, K.S. & Fox, R.A. (1991). Mothers and fathers of young
children: Comparison of parenting styles. Psychological Reports,
69, 320-322.
Bertaux, D. & Delcroix, C. (1992). Where have all the daddies
gone? Em U. Bjornberg (Org.), European parents in the 1990's
(pp. 181-196). New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction.
Biller, H.B. (1981). The father and sex role development. Em M.E.
Lamb (Org.), The role of the father in child development (pp.
489-522). Chichester: Wiley.
Bronstein, P. (1988). Father-child interaction: Implications for gender-
role socialization. Em P. Bronstein & C.P. Cowan (Orgs.),
Fatherhood today: Men's changing role in the family (pp. 107-
124). New York: Wiley.
Brown, M.A. (1994). Family discord during pregnancy: A family
systems approach. Family Systems Medicine, 12, 221-234.
Burgess, A. (1997). Fatherhood reclaimed: The making of the modern
father. London: Vermilion.
Burghes, L. (1997). Fathers and fatherhood. London: Policy Studies
Institute.
Clinton, J.F. & Kelber, S. (1993). Stress and coping in fathers of
newborns: Comparisons of planned versus unplanned pregnancy.
International Journal of Nursing Studies, 30, 437-443.
Cowan, C.P. & Cowan, P.A. (1992). When partners become parents:
The big life change for couples. New York: Basic Books.
Crockett, L.J., Eggebeen, D.J. & Hawkins, A.J. (1993). Father's
presence and young children's behavioural and cognitive adjustment.
Journal of Family Issues, 14, 355-377.
Crouter, A.C., Perry-Jenkins, M., Huston, T.L. & McHale, S.M.
(1987). Involvement in dual-and single-earner families. Developmental
Psychology, 23, 431-440.
De Frain, J. (1979). Androgynous parents tell who they are and
what they need. The Family Coordinator, 28, 237-243.
Dessen, M.A. & Lewis, C. (1998). Como estudar a família e o pai?
Paideia Cadernos de Psicologia e Educação, 1, 105-121.
Dudley, J.R. (1991). The consequences of divorce proceedings for
divorced fathers. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 16,171-
193.
Feldman, S. (1987). Predicting strain in mothers and fathers of 6-
month-old infants. Em P. Berman & F. Pedersen (Orgs.), Men's
transition to parenthood (pp. 15-35). Hillsdale, NJ.: Lawrence
Erlbaum.
Fonagy, P., Steele, H. & Steele, M. (1991). Organization of infantmother
attachment at one year of age. Child Development, 62,
891-905.
Furstenberg, F.F., Nord, C.W., Peterson, J.L. & Zill, N. (1983).
The life course children of divorce: Marital disruption and parental
contact. American Sociological Review, 48, 656-668.
Greenberger, E. & O'Neil, R. (1990). Parents' concerns about their
child's development: Implications for fathers' and mothers' wellbeing
and attitudes towards work. Journal of Marriage and the
Family, 52, 621-635.
Greenberger, E. & O'Neil, R. (1992). Maternal employment and
perceptions of young children: Bronfenbrenner et al. revisited.
Child Development, 63, 413-448.
Grossman, F.K., Pollack, W.S. & Golding, E. (1988). Fathers and
children: Predicting the quality and quantity of fathering. Developmental
Psychology, 24, 82-91.
Hart, C.H., De Wolfe, D.M., Wozniak, P. & Burts, D.C. (1992).
Maternal and paternal disciplinary styles: Relations with
preschoolers' playground behavioural orientations and peer status.
Child Development, 63, 879-892.
Hawkins, A.J. & Dollahite, D.C. (1997). Generative fathering.
Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.
Hawkins, A.J. & Eggebeen, D.J. (1991). Are fathers fungible? Patterns
of co-resident adult men in maritally disrupted families
and children's well-being. Journal of Marriage and the Family,
47,93-115.
Herzog, E. & Sudia, C. (1970). Boys in fatherless families. Washington,
DC: U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Hewlett, B.S. (1987). Intimate fathers: Patterns of holding among
Aka pygmies. Em M. E. Lamb (Org.), The father's role: Crosscultural
perspectives (pp. 295-320). Hillsdale, NJ.: Lawrence
Erlbaum.
Hoffman, L.W. (1989). Effects of maternal employment in the two
parent family. American Psychologist, 44, 283-292.
Kruk, E. (1991). Discontinuity between pre and post-divorce father-
child relationships: New evidence regarding paternal disengagement.
Custodial patterns and influences. Journal of Divorce
& Remarriage, 16, 195-227.
Lamb, M.E. (Org.) (1986). The father's role: Applied perspectives.
New York: Wiley.
Lamb, M.E. (Org.) (1997).The role of the father in child development.
New York: Wiley.
Leathers, S., Kelley, M.A. & Richman, J.A. (1997). Postpartum
depressive symptomatology in new mothers and fathers: Parenting,
work and support. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease,
185, 129-139.
Le Masters, E.E. (1957). Parenthood as crisis. Marriage and Family
Living, 19, 352-355.
Lewis, C. (1986). Becoming a father. Milton Keynes: Open University
Press.
Lewis, C. (1997). Fathers and preschoolers. Em M. E. Lamb (Org.),
The role of the father in child development (pp. 121-142). New
York: Wiley.
Lewis, C, Maka, Z. & Papacosta, A. (1997). Why do fathers become
disengaged from their children's lives? Maternal and paternal accounts of divorce in Greece. Journal of Divorce &
Remarriage, 28, 89-117.
Lovestone, S. & Kumar, R. (1993). Postnatal psychiatric illness:
The impact on partners. British Journal of Psychiatry, 163,210-
216.
Lytton, H. & Romney, D.M. (1991). Parents' differential socialisation
of boys and girls: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin,
109, 267-296.
McLoyd, V.C. (1989). Socialization and development in a changing
economy: The effects of paternal job and income loss on
children. American Psychologist, 44, 293-302.
Mead, M. (1962). Male and female. Harmondsworth: Pelican.
(Originalmente publicado em 1950)
Mott, F.L. (1990). When is a father really gone? Paternal-child contact
in father-absent homes. Demography, 27, 499-517.
Neissi, P. (1998). A model examining the influences of father absence,
social support and maternal well being on children's
psychological adjustment. PhD. Thesis, Lancaster University,
Lancaster-UK.
Nock, S.L. & Kingston, P.W. (1988). Time with children: The impact
of couples work-time commitments. Social Forces, 67,
59-85.
Phares, V. (1996). Fathers and developmental psychopathology.
New York: Wiley.
Presser, H.B. (1988). Shift work and child care among young
American parents. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50,
133-148.
Radin, N. & Goldsmith, R. (1989). The involvement of selected
unemployed and employed men with their children. Child Development,
60, 454-459.
Rossi, A.S. (1985). Gender and parenthood. Em A.S. Rossi (Org.),
Gender and the life course (pp. 161-191). New York: Aldine.
Russell, G. (1978). The father role and its relation to masculinity,
femininity and androgyny. Child Development, 49,1174-1181.
Russell, G. (1983). The changing role of fathers? St. Lucia, Queensland,
Australia University of Queensland Press.
Russell, G. & Radojevic, M. (1992). The changing role of fathers?
Current understandings and future directions for research and
practice. Infant Mental Health Journal, 13, 296-311.
Santrock, J.W., Sitterle, K.A. & Warshak, R.A. (1988). Parent-child
relationships in stepfather families. Em P. Bronstein & C.P.
Cowan (Orgs.), Fatherhood today: Men's changing role in the
family (pp. 144-165). New York:Wiley.
Siegal, A.U. (1987). Are sons and daughters more differently treated
by fathers than by mothers? Developmental Review, 7, 183-
209.
Stevenson, M.R. & Black, K.N. (1988). Paternal absence and sexrole
development: A meta-analysis. Child Development, 59,
793-814.
Volling, B.L. & Belsky, J. (1991). Multiple determinants of father
involvement during infancy in dual-earner and single-earner
families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 461-474.
Wheelock, J. (1991). Husbands at home: The domestic economy in
a post-industrial society. London: Routledge.
Worden, RE., Kee, D.W. & Ingle, M.J. (1987). Parental teaching
strategies with preschoolers: A comparison of mothers and fathers
within different alphabet tasks. Contemporary Educational
Psychology, 12, 95-109.
quality day care to middle class 3-year-olds' language performance.
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 4, 97-166.
Aradine, C.R. & Ferketich, S. (1990). The psychological impact of
premature birth on mothers and fathers. Journal of Reproductive
and Infant Psychology, 8, 75-86.
Barnett, R.C. & Baruch, G.K. (1988). Correlates of fathers' participation
in family work. Em P. Bronstein & C.P. Cowan
(Orgs.), Fatherhood today: Men's changing role in the family
(pp. 66-78). New York: Wiley.
Baruch, G.K. & Barnett, R.C. (1986). Fathers' participation in family
work and children's sex-role attitudes. Child Development, 57,
1210-1223.
Belsky, J. (1990). Parental and nonparental care and children's socioemotional
development: A decade review. Journal of Marriage
and the Family, 52, 885-903.
Bem, S. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 45, 196-205.
Bentley, K.S. & Fox, R.A. (1991). Mothers and fathers of young
children: Comparison of parenting styles. Psychological Reports,
69, 320-322.
Bertaux, D. & Delcroix, C. (1992). Where have all the daddies
gone? Em U. Bjornberg (Org.), European parents in the 1990's
(pp. 181-196). New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction.
Biller, H.B. (1981). The father and sex role development. Em M.E.
Lamb (Org.), The role of the father in child development (pp.
489-522). Chichester: Wiley.
Bronstein, P. (1988). Father-child interaction: Implications for gender-
role socialization. Em P. Bronstein & C.P. Cowan (Orgs.),
Fatherhood today: Men's changing role in the family (pp. 107-
124). New York: Wiley.
Brown, M.A. (1994). Family discord during pregnancy: A family
systems approach. Family Systems Medicine, 12, 221-234.
Burgess, A. (1997). Fatherhood reclaimed: The making of the modern
father. London: Vermilion.
Burghes, L. (1997). Fathers and fatherhood. London: Policy Studies
Institute.
Clinton, J.F. & Kelber, S. (1993). Stress and coping in fathers of
newborns: Comparisons of planned versus unplanned pregnancy.
International Journal of Nursing Studies, 30, 437-443.
Cowan, C.P. & Cowan, P.A. (1992). When partners become parents:
The big life change for couples. New York: Basic Books.
Crockett, L.J., Eggebeen, D.J. & Hawkins, A.J. (1993). Father's
presence and young children's behavioural and cognitive adjustment.
Journal of Family Issues, 14, 355-377.
Crouter, A.C., Perry-Jenkins, M., Huston, T.L. & McHale, S.M.
(1987). Involvement in dual-and single-earner families. Developmental
Psychology, 23, 431-440.
De Frain, J. (1979). Androgynous parents tell who they are and
what they need. The Family Coordinator, 28, 237-243.
Dessen, M.A. & Lewis, C. (1998). Como estudar a família e o pai?
Paideia Cadernos de Psicologia e Educação, 1, 105-121.
Dudley, J.R. (1991). The consequences of divorce proceedings for
divorced fathers. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 16,171-
193.
Feldman, S. (1987). Predicting strain in mothers and fathers of 6-
month-old infants. Em P. Berman & F. Pedersen (Orgs.), Men's
transition to parenthood (pp. 15-35). Hillsdale, NJ.: Lawrence
Erlbaum.
Fonagy, P., Steele, H. & Steele, M. (1991). Organization of infantmother
attachment at one year of age. Child Development, 62,
891-905.
Furstenberg, F.F., Nord, C.W., Peterson, J.L. & Zill, N. (1983).
The life course children of divorce: Marital disruption and parental
contact. American Sociological Review, 48, 656-668.
Greenberger, E. & O'Neil, R. (1990). Parents' concerns about their
child's development: Implications for fathers' and mothers' wellbeing
and attitudes towards work. Journal of Marriage and the
Family, 52, 621-635.
Greenberger, E. & O'Neil, R. (1992). Maternal employment and
perceptions of young children: Bronfenbrenner et al. revisited.
Child Development, 63, 413-448.
Grossman, F.K., Pollack, W.S. & Golding, E. (1988). Fathers and
children: Predicting the quality and quantity of fathering. Developmental
Psychology, 24, 82-91.
Hart, C.H., De Wolfe, D.M., Wozniak, P. & Burts, D.C. (1992).
Maternal and paternal disciplinary styles: Relations with
preschoolers' playground behavioural orientations and peer status.
Child Development, 63, 879-892.
Hawkins, A.J. & Dollahite, D.C. (1997). Generative fathering.
Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.
Hawkins, A.J. & Eggebeen, D.J. (1991). Are fathers fungible? Patterns
of co-resident adult men in maritally disrupted families
and children's well-being. Journal of Marriage and the Family,
47,93-115.
Herzog, E. & Sudia, C. (1970). Boys in fatherless families. Washington,
DC: U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Hewlett, B.S. (1987). Intimate fathers: Patterns of holding among
Aka pygmies. Em M. E. Lamb (Org.), The father's role: Crosscultural
perspectives (pp. 295-320). Hillsdale, NJ.: Lawrence
Erlbaum.
Hoffman, L.W. (1989). Effects of maternal employment in the two
parent family. American Psychologist, 44, 283-292.
Kruk, E. (1991). Discontinuity between pre and post-divorce father-
child relationships: New evidence regarding paternal disengagement.
Custodial patterns and influences. Journal of Divorce
& Remarriage, 16, 195-227.
Lamb, M.E. (Org.) (1986). The father's role: Applied perspectives.
New York: Wiley.
Lamb, M.E. (Org.) (1997).The role of the father in child development.
New York: Wiley.
Leathers, S., Kelley, M.A. & Richman, J.A. (1997). Postpartum
depressive symptomatology in new mothers and fathers: Parenting,
work and support. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease,
185, 129-139.
Le Masters, E.E. (1957). Parenthood as crisis. Marriage and Family
Living, 19, 352-355.
Lewis, C. (1986). Becoming a father. Milton Keynes: Open University
Press.
Lewis, C. (1997). Fathers and preschoolers. Em M. E. Lamb (Org.),
The role of the father in child development (pp. 121-142). New
York: Wiley.
Lewis, C, Maka, Z. & Papacosta, A. (1997). Why do fathers become
disengaged from their children's lives? Maternal and paternal accounts of divorce in Greece. Journal of Divorce &
Remarriage, 28, 89-117.
Lovestone, S. & Kumar, R. (1993). Postnatal psychiatric illness:
The impact on partners. British Journal of Psychiatry, 163,210-
216.
Lytton, H. & Romney, D.M. (1991). Parents' differential socialisation
of boys and girls: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin,
109, 267-296.
McLoyd, V.C. (1989). Socialization and development in a changing
economy: The effects of paternal job and income loss on
children. American Psychologist, 44, 293-302.
Mead, M. (1962). Male and female. Harmondsworth: Pelican.
(Originalmente publicado em 1950)
Mott, F.L. (1990). When is a father really gone? Paternal-child contact
in father-absent homes. Demography, 27, 499-517.
Neissi, P. (1998). A model examining the influences of father absence,
social support and maternal well being on children's
psychological adjustment. PhD. Thesis, Lancaster University,
Lancaster-UK.
Nock, S.L. & Kingston, P.W. (1988). Time with children: The impact
of couples work-time commitments. Social Forces, 67,
59-85.
Phares, V. (1996). Fathers and developmental psychopathology.
New York: Wiley.
Presser, H.B. (1988). Shift work and child care among young
American parents. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50,
133-148.
Radin, N. & Goldsmith, R. (1989). The involvement of selected
unemployed and employed men with their children. Child Development,
60, 454-459.
Rossi, A.S. (1985). Gender and parenthood. Em A.S. Rossi (Org.),
Gender and the life course (pp. 161-191). New York: Aldine.
Russell, G. (1978). The father role and its relation to masculinity,
femininity and androgyny. Child Development, 49,1174-1181.
Russell, G. (1983). The changing role of fathers? St. Lucia, Queensland,
Australia University of Queensland Press.
Russell, G. & Radojevic, M. (1992). The changing role of fathers?
Current understandings and future directions for research and
practice. Infant Mental Health Journal, 13, 296-311.
Santrock, J.W., Sitterle, K.A. & Warshak, R.A. (1988). Parent-child
relationships in stepfather families. Em P. Bronstein & C.P.
Cowan (Orgs.), Fatherhood today: Men's changing role in the
family (pp. 144-165). New York:Wiley.
Siegal, A.U. (1987). Are sons and daughters more differently treated
by fathers than by mothers? Developmental Review, 7, 183-
209.
Stevenson, M.R. & Black, K.N. (1988). Paternal absence and sexrole
development: A meta-analysis. Child Development, 59,
793-814.
Volling, B.L. & Belsky, J. (1991). Multiple determinants of father
involvement during infancy in dual-earner and single-earner
families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 461-474.
Wheelock, J. (1991). Husbands at home: The domestic economy in
a post-industrial society. London: Routledge.
Worden, RE., Kee, D.W. & Ingle, M.J. (1987). Parental teaching
strategies with preschoolers: A comparison of mothers and fathers
within different alphabet tasks. Contemporary Educational
Psychology, 12, 95-109.
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Published
2012-08-31
How to Cite
Lewis, C., & Dessen, M. A. (2012). The Fathers in Family Life. Psicologia: Teoria E Pesquisa, 15(1), 009–016. Retrieved from https://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/revistaptp/article/view/17337
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