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Fathers' Motivation for Involvement with Their Children: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

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) The degree to which fathers' motivation for involvement with their preschool children was intrinsic versus extrinsic was examined in a sample of 205 French-speaking fathers. Links between fathers' motivation and fathers' perceptions of support from partners, fathers' sense of competence in parenting, fathers' involvement in parenting, and fathers' satisfaction in their performance of the parental role were investigated. Structural equation modeling revealed a father's perceptions that his partner has confidence in his parenting ability were related to both feelings of competence in parenting and to his motivation, which in turn was related to his involvement and to his satisfaction in his performance of the parental role. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] Full Text (7247 words) Copyright Men's Studies Press Winter 2007 [Headnote] The degree to which fathers' motivation for involvement with their preschool children was intrinsic versus extrinsic was examined in a sample of 205 French-speaking fathers. Links between fathers' motivation and fathers' perceptions of support from partners, fathers' sense of competence in parenting, fathers' involvement in parenting, and fathers' satisfaction in their performance of the parental role were investigated. Structural equation modeling revealed a father's perceptions that his partner has confidence in his parenting ability were related to both feelings of competence in parenting and to his motivation, which in turn was related to his involvement and to his satisfaction in his performance of the parental role. Although many men seek a father-child relationship characterized by more nurturance and intimacy than they experienced with their own fathers (Palkowitz, 2002), a significant number of absent and uninvolved fathers do not assume responsibility for their children (Parke, 2002; Silverstein, 2002). A large body of research has examined the determinants of father involvement (Marsiglio, Amato, Day, & Lamb, 2000). Lamb (1997), for example, identified motivation, skills and confidence, social support, and supportive policies as facilitating men's involvement with their children. This study examined the associations between fathers' perceptions of support from partners, fathers' sense of competence in parenting, fathers' motivation for involvement with their children, fathers' involvement in parenting, and fathers' satisfaction in their performance of the parental role. A number of scholars have emphasized the need for interation of theory and empirical findings in this Held (e.g., Marsiglio et al., 2000; Rane & McBride, 2000). Because the study of father involvement lies at the confluence of many disciplines, it has been enriched by a variety of theoretical models.
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... On the other hand, we uncovered a number of intrinsic resources that fathers drew upon to fulfill their parenting responsibilities, such as a strong sense of determination to be involved with their children and their own growth mindset toward fathering. This is consistent with studies that have linked fathers' intrinsic motivations for involvement with higher levels of parenting competence, higher levels of satisfaction with the fathering role, and father involvement (Bouchard et al., 2007). ...
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In comparison to resident fathers, non-resident fathers face formidable challenges in maintaining a consistent presence in their children’s lives. Such challenges tend to exist on multiple contextual levels--intrapersonal, interpersonal, neighborhood, community, cultural, and societal. We conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews with a sample of eight participants who identified as an African American, biological, non-resident father to at least one child, ages 5–17. We explored barriers and facilitators to their involvement on five contextual levels—self, co-parenting, family, social/community, and societal. We employed a phenomenological methodology which revealed numerous barriers to involvement with children, including the father’s own personal lived experiences, conflictual co-parenting and family dynamics, engagement in the street lifestyle, and challenges with parenting across multiple households. Findings also revealed several supports to involvement with children, including the father’s determination to be involved and growth mindset toward fathering, positive and supportive co-parenting relationships, family support, and fatherhood programs. The results of this study are intended to provide contextually-based insights for service providers that can be translated into service delivery and applied to programs that focus on eliminating barriers and increasing supports to father involvement, thereby improving child well-being and enhancing family functioning.
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