Predictors of Primary Caregiving for Young Children among New Zealand Fathers

Type of content
Theses / Dissertations
Publisher's DOI/URI
Thesis discipline
Psychology
Degree name
Master of Science
Publisher
University of Canterbury. Psychology
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Language
Date
2011
Authors
Wilson, Octavia Blanche
Abstract

Around 14,000 men in New Zealand are the primary caregiver for their children, yet little recent research has focused on this phenomenon. Seventy fathers were recruited from the community, consisting of 35 primary-caregiving fathers, and 35 secondary-caregiving fathers. Participants completed a variety of measures which gathered data about their developmental history, personal characteristics, marital relationship, work and economic factors, social network factors, and child characteristics. Results indicated that primary-caregiving fathers earned significantly less income than secondary-caregiving fathers; were significantly more likely to identify with non-Pakeha ethnicity, and were significantly more likely to have no educational qualifications than secondary-caregiving fathers. Primary-caregiving fathers also rated their relationship with their mother as having significantly more care. Primary-caregiving status was predicted by older age of fathers, and increased parenting self-efficacy. Implications of the results are discussed, as are strengths and limitations of the study, as well as future directions for research.

Description
Citation
Keywords
parenting, primary caregiving father, fathering, caregiving, father, primary caregiver, Belsky, father involvement, parental involvement
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
Rights
Copyright Octavia Blanche Wilson