Background: Previous studies have shown that the transition to parenthood elicits stress in parents, which may have negative consequences for their children, especially in their first years of life...Show moreBackground: Previous studies have shown that the transition to parenthood elicits stress in parents, which may have negative consequences for their children, especially in their first years of life. Yet, knowledge of paternal stress and its risk factors is scarce, because fathers have been neglected in parenting research. In the current study we, therefore, examined whether a history of child maltreatment, a thoroughly studied risk factor for stress in mothers, predicted parenting stress in fathers, making a clear distinction between neglect and abuse. Additionally, exploratory analyses were run to investigate the possible role of paternal protective tendencies. Method: First-time fathers with children up to three years old were recruited via social media platforms and via clinical facilities that offer perinatal care to fill out an online questionnaire. Results: A total of 210 fathers participated, who were mainly highly educated (72,4% bachelor’s degree or higher). Findings showed a significant positive association between childhood neglect and parenting stress. No mediating or moderating role of parental motivation for protection was found, however, a direct positive association was found between childhood abuse and parental motivation for protection. Conclusion: Current results underscore the importance of supporting fathers with a history of neglect in the early postnatal period and highlight the importance of distinguishing different types of childhood maltreatment. Furthermore, it suggests that fathers have a higher motivation to protect their children after experiencing childhood abuse, emphasizing the importance of more research into the possible overprotection tendencies of abused fathers. Longitudinal and experimental research is needed to support these findings and to unravel the mechanisms that cause paternal stress and factors that may buffer the negative consequences of childhood maltreatment.Show less
Although the well-documented vulnerability of parents with childhood trauma to relationship difficulties and parenting stress during the perinatal period, existing studies have primarily focused on...Show moreAlthough the well-documented vulnerability of parents with childhood trauma to relationship difficulties and parenting stress during the perinatal period, existing studies have primarily focused on mothers and have not differentiated between various types of childhood trauma (Chamberlain et al., 2019; Prachason et al., 2023). This study aims to address these gaps by investigating the impact of a history of emotional abuse or emotional neglect on the quality of partner relationships among fathers. Additionally, this study examined whether parenting stress mediates this relationship while correcting for cultural background, socio-economic status (SES), and psychological problems of the fathers. It was hypothesized that a history of emotional abuse and emotional neglect in fathers would be associated with lower quality partner relationships, and that parenting stress would mediate this relationship. A sample of 191 fathers, recruited through voluntary response sampling, completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire- Short Form, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale-7, and the Parental Stress Scale to assess experiences of emotional abuse or neglect, the quality of the partner relationship, and parenting stress, respectively. Regression analyses revealed a significant negative relationship between emotional neglect and partner relationship quality, as well as between parenting stress and partner relationship quality. No significant effects were observed for other variables. Furthermore, parenting stress did not mediate the relationship in either model. In summary, the findings indicate that fathers with a history of emotional neglect and fathers with parenting stress experience diminished quality in their partner relationships. Given that partner relationship quality influences the well-being of fathers and affects child development, it is essential to provide support for fathers with a history of emotional neglect (Christie et al., 2017). By incorporating insights from follow-up research into effective interventions, the well-being of both fathers and their children can be enhanced.Show less
Children grow up in a world full of consciously, explicit and unconsciously, implicit gender stereotypes. This thesis focusses on de implicit stereotypes of children and their parents. Children are...Show moreChildren grow up in a world full of consciously, explicit and unconsciously, implicit gender stereotypes. This thesis focusses on de implicit stereotypes of children and their parents. Children are influenced by implicit stereotypes by constantly being exposed to these in society, in schools or by their parents. By unconsciously expressing these implicit stereotypes, parents influence the interests, and thus the professional interests, of their children. This study, with a cross-sectional design, examined whether children's implicit gender stereotypes mediates the relationship between parents' implicit gender stereotypes and gender stereotyped occupational interests. 100 Dutch families were visited at home for this study. The data of 100 children, 99 mothers and 98 fathers was used for the mediation analysis. All of the children were 11 or 12 years old and were the second child in the family. To research the implicit gender stereotypes, the arts-science version of the Implicit Association Test was conducted on both parents and the child. In addition, the children were asked about their stereotyped occupational interests using a Dutch version of the Occupation, Activity, Traits – PM. The main analysis consisted of a mediation analysis using the causal steps method of Baron and Kenny (1986). And both the mother’s and the father’s stereotypes were examined separately. The regression analyses showed that parental stereotypes did not predict the professional interests of children (hypothesis 1). Also, no relation was found between the implicit stereotypes of parent and child (hypothesis 2). Furthermore, the children implicit stereotypes did not predict the children’s professional interests (hypothesis 3). Therefore, the conclusion of this thesis is that parents don’t seem to affect their children professional interests with their implicit stereotypes about gender (hypothesis 4). Implications for this research could be that we need more insight about how the communication between parent and child occurs.Show less
Introduction: Parental sensitivity has been shown to be important for a child’s healthy development. Most research on parenting has been conducted with mothers, with research on fathering lagging...Show moreIntroduction: Parental sensitivity has been shown to be important for a child’s healthy development. Most research on parenting has been conducted with mothers, with research on fathering lagging behind. In the present study, we, therefore, focused on fathers. It was examined whether the use of an intervention that stimulated physical contact, i.e., a baby carrier, would increase fathers’ sensitivity, and whether this association was mediated by testosterone. Method: Participants in this study were 38 men (Mean age = 34.60, SD = 5.02) who recently became fathers. Infant age ranged from 8 to 12 weeks old at the start of the intervention. Fathers were asked to use a baby carrier for 21 days. Sensitivity was observed before and after the intervention in a free play setting. Use of the baby carrier was measured with warmth sensors on the baby carrier. Testosterone levels are measured by taking saliva samples. Results: Men used the baby carrier on average 33 minutes per day. Results showed no relation between the use of the baby carrier (i.e. physical contact) and testosterone and no relation between testosterone and sensitivity. This means that the relationship between physical contact and sensitivity was therefore not mediated by testosterone. Conclusion: Low levels of baby carrier use may not be enough to increase sensitivity in fathers. In addition, future research could include a larger and more diverse sample to examine the relations between physical contact, testosterone and sensitivity.Show less
The goal of the current observational study was to examine non-compliant behavior of children with an easy or a difficult temperament and the discipline styles of their fathers and mothers....Show moreThe goal of the current observational study was to examine non-compliant behavior of children with an easy or a difficult temperament and the discipline styles of their fathers and mothers. Participants included 100 fathers and mothers and their oldest child (4 years of age). Non-compliance of the children and discipline strategy of both fathers and mothers were observed during a 'don’t touch' situation (Kuczynski, Kochanska, Radke-Yarrow, & Girnius-Brown, 1987). Inhibitory control was used as a measure of temperament, using the subscale inhibitory control from the Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (Rothbart, Ahadi, Hershey, & Fisher, 2001). The results suggest that children were more compliant to their fathers than to their mothers. There was a significant association between temperament and compliance to the fathers: children who were reported by their fathers as having more inhibitory control, were more compliant to them. There were no differences in discipline styles between fathers and mothers, nor were there any differences in discipline styles of parents of children with an easy temperament compared to parents of children with a difficult temperament.Show less
