Identifying the Association between Child Temperament and Father Involvement: Theoretical Considerations and Empirical Evidence

Selva Lewin-Bizan, Boston College

The main effects of child temperament on father involvement, as well as its moderating effect on the association between other predictor variables and father involvement, were measured using a sample of resident fathers, a sub-sample of the families surveyed in the Fragile Families and Child Well Being Study (N = 1,701). A two-equation model was estimated, using a two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression procedure. Findings suggest that fathers are less involved with temperamentally difficult children than with temperamentally easy children, and that temperament moderates the effect of the parental relationship quality on father involvement. Considering the importance of paternal involvement for the child’s well-being, results are discussed in terms of implications for intervention programs aiming at increasing levels of paternal involvement.