Fathers’ Involvement and Children’s Developmental Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies.

The systematic review outlined in the abstract investigates the longitudinal impact of father involvement on children’s developmental outcomes, defining father involvement through dimensions such as accessibility (e.g., cohabitation), engagement, responsibility, and more complex measures, encompassing both biological fathers and father figures. The methodology involved a comprehensive search of major databases from their inception, requiring that data on father involvement be collected at least one year prior to assessing child outcomes. The results, drawn from 24 publications, predominantly (22 studies) highlighted positive effects of father involvement, with 16 studies adjusting for socio-economic status (SES) and 11 reflecting broader population trends. Notably, cohabitation with a mother and her male partner was linked to reduced externalizing behavioral issues, while active and regular father-child engagement was associated with diverse benefits, including fewer behavioral problems in boys, reduced psychological issues in young women, enhanced cognitive development, and lower rates of delinquency and economic disadvantage in low-SES families, though no specific type of engagement proved superior. The review concludes that father engagement positively influences offspring’s social, behavioral, and psychological outcomes, and despite the literature emphasizing engagement as the key form of effective involvement, the findings strongly advocate for professional and policy efforts to foster conditions that support involved fathering.