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Father Involvement and Mothers' Parenting Stress: The Role of Relationship Status

Author

Listed:
  • Kei M. Nomaguchi

    (Bowling Green State University)

  • Susan L. Brown

    (Bowling Green State University)

  • Tanya M. Leyman

    (Bowling Green State University)

Abstract

Although the salutatory effects of father involvement on child well-being are well established, whether similar benefits accrue to children's mothers is unknown. The prevailing cultural ideal of involved fathering coupled with the growing complexity of mother-father relationship contexts signal that an examination of how father involvement shapes mothers' parenting stress is overdue. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study (N = 2,480) , we find father involvement is related to lower parenting stress for mothers who are married to, cohabiting with, or dating the child's father, but not for mothers who are no longer romantically involved with the father. For mothers living with a new partner, the current partner's, not the biological father's, involvement is related to less parenting stress. Results support the notion that the stress buffering effectiveness of social support, conceptualized here as father involvement, depends on the relationship context between support recipients and providers.

Suggested Citation

  • Kei M. Nomaguchi & Susan L. Brown & Tanya M. Leyman, 2012. "Father Involvement and Mothers' Parenting Stress: The Role of Relationship Status," Working Papers 1390, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    • Handle: RePEc:pri:crcwel:wp12-07-ff.pdf
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    File URL: https://fragilefamilies.princeton.edu/sites/fragilefamilies/files/wp12-07-ff.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marcia Carlson & Sara McLanahan & Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, 2008. "Coparenting and nonresident fathers’ involvement with young children after a nonmarital birth," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 45(2), pages 461-488, May.
    2. Laura Tach & Ronald Mincy & Kathryn Edin, 2010. "Parenting as A “package deal”: Relationships, fertility, and nonresident father involvement among unmarried parents," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 47(1), pages 181-204, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Laura Tach, 2012. "Family Complexity, Childbearing, and Parenting Stress: A Comparison of Mothers' and Fathers' Experiences," Working Papers 1425, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Father Involvement; Parenting Stress; Relationship Status; Role Strain; Social Support;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D19 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Other
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • I00 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General - - - General
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure

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