The role of fathers in child cohorts

Experiences from relevant cohort studies in Germany

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Kalicki

State Institute of Early Childhood Research (IFP) Munich, Germany

Topics and trends of our fatherhood research

1 The Impact of the Transition to Fatherhood on the Marital Relationship

2 Effects of Fathers on their Children:Outlines of a Child Cohort Study

1 The Impact of the Transition to Fatherhood on the Marital Relationship

T1

Preg-nancy

T2

8 Weeks T3

4 Months

T4

1 ½ Years

T5

3 Years

T6

4 ¼ Years

T7

5 ½ Years

T8

7 Years

T9

9 Years

N

First Child

91

SecondChild

84

T1: N = 175 parental couples

T9: N = 109 complete data sets

Increase of Conflict

First Child Second Child

0

2

4

6

8

T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9

Women

Men

Decline of Positive Communication

First Child Second Child

14

16

18

20

22

24

T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9

Women

Men

Decline of Intimacy & Sexuality

First Child Second Child

12

14

16

18

20

22

T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9

Women

Men

0

10

20

30

40

50

Men Women Men Women

before

18 months

3 years

Hoursper

Week

Berufstätigkeit von Frauen und Männern vor und nach der Geburt

Labour-force Participation of Women and Menbefore and after childbirth

First Child Second Child

0

10

20

30

40

50

Men beforeWomen before

First Child Fathers after 3 YearsFirst Child Mothers after 3 Years

Second Child Mothers after 3 Years

Relocation of Income

Personal Net-Income (DM per month)

%

Verteilung der Hausarbeit bei Ersteltern

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Participation of Women Participation of Men

Pregnancy

after 4 Months

after 18 Months

after 3 Years

Relocation of Homework(First Child Group)

Changes of Life Situation

Dissatisfaction with one‘s Situation

• Dissatisfaction with … - Occupational Status, Job, Income - Distribution of Homework, Child-care - Parental Role (‚parenting stress‘)

Changes of Life Situation

Dissatisfaction with one‘s Situation

Dyadic Coordination

Individual Adaptation

• Allocation of Roles• Commensurability of

Costs and Benefits• Procedural Norms for Fairness

• Role-Preferences & Life Plans• Expectations• Role-Competence

Changes of Life Situation

Impairment of Marital Interaction

Decline in Marital Satisfaction

Dissatisfaction with one‘s Situation

Constructive/Destructive Conflict

• Condition & Mood• Occasions (time & place)• Postponing other Tasks

• Increase of Conflict• Decline of Positive Communication• Decline of Intimacy & Sexuality

• Rising of Discrepancies in one‘s Partner Concept

Changes of Life Situation

Impairment of Marital Interaction

Decline in Marital Satisfaction

Dissatisfaction with one‘s Situation

Attribution of perceived Changes

• Critical vs. Benevolent Attribution

• Similarity of Life Situations• Perspective-Taking

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

low high

Frequency of Negative Partner Behaviour

Dissatisfaction with one'sPartner

Subjective Attribution determines Impact of Negative Partner Behaviour

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

low high

Frequency of Negative Partner Behaviour

Dissatisfactionwith one'sPartner

Subjective Attribution determines Impact of Negative Partner Behaviour

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

low high

Frequency of Negative Partner Behaviour

Dissatisfactionwith one's Partner

Subjective Attribution determines Impact of Negative Partner Behaviour

Changes of Life Situation

Impairment of Marital Interaction

Decline in Marital Satisfaction

Dissatisfaction with one‘s Situation

Attribution of perceived Changes

Conflict Behaviour

Dyadic Coordination

Individual Adaptation

Transition to Fatherhood

Summary and Discussion

1. The birth of the first child triggers a relocation of roles according to traditional gender-roles.

2. Emerging dissatisfaction with one‘s life situation typically leads to lower marital quality.

3. Fathers experience these changes in gender-specific ways.

4. Nevertheless the underlying processes can be explained using general psychological theories.

2 Maintaining Self-esteem during

the Transition to Fatherhood

Contradictory Evidenceand Four Hypotheses

Decline of Marital Quality (PFB total score)

First Child Second Child

50

55

60

65

70

T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9

Women

Men

Stability/Increase of Self-Esteem(‚Positivity‘ of Real Self)

First Child Second Child

145

150

155

160

165

170

T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9

Women

Men

Stability/Decrease of Self-Discrepancy(Real-Ideal Discrepancies in Self-Concept)

First Child Second Child

30

35

40

45

50

T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T1 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9

Women

Men

Four Hypotheses

H1: The coping style of Flexible Goal Adjustment protects the person‘s self-esteem against the negative implications of the deterioration of the marital relationship.

(Brandtstaedter & Greve 1994, Brandtstaedter, Wentura & Rothermund 1999)

Four Hypotheses

H2: For men, high job satisfaction buffers the negative implications of a declining marital quality on their self-esteem.

H3: For women, high satisfaction within the maternal role buffers the negative implications of a declining marital quality on their self-esteem.

(Greenberger & O‘Neil 1993)

Four Hypotheses

H4: An initially positive attitude towards pregnancy/parenthood serves as a protective factor for the self-esteem given the deterioration of the marital relationship.

Flexibility of Goal Adjustment (FGA) buffers the Impact of Declining Marital Quality

on Self-Esteem of Men

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

-45 25

M-SDMM+SD

Increase of Martial QualityDecrease of Marital Quality

Decrease of Self-Discrepancy

ΔT1-T9:Increase of Self-Discrepancyof Men

High Job Satisfaction buffers the Impact of low Marital Quality

on Self-Esteem of Men

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

25 81

M-SDMM+SD

Marital Quality (T8)

Self-Discrepancy(T8)

High Frustration in the Maternal Role boosts the Impact of low Marital Quality

on Self-Esteem of Women

20

30

40

50

60

70

24 84

M-SDMM+SD

Marital Quality (T6)

Self-Discrepancy(T6)

Positive Attitude towards Pregnancyboosts the Impact of declining Marital Quality

on Self-Esteem of Men

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

-45 25

M-SDMM+SD

Increase of Marital QualityDecrease of Marital Quality

ΔT1-T9:Increase of Self-Discrepancy

Decrease of Self-Discrepancy

Summary and Discussion

1. Various protective mechanisms contribute to the maintainance of self-esteem given the decline of marital quality.

2. These processes are highly gender-specific.

3. Very positive attitudes of becoming fathers towards pregnancy and the forthcoming parenthood are risky given the typical course of marital quality.

3 Effects of fathers onchild outcomes:Outlines of a cohort study

Child Cohort Study

• multi-center study (7 research groups)

• inspired by the NICHD study on Child Care

• Timeline: 2009-2012 (data collection: Feb-Jul/2010)

• Main Questions:

- Effects of Type, Quantity & Quality of Care experienced during Early Childhood on Child Development

- Interplay of Care inside & outside the Family

Fathers in the NUBBEK child cohort study

• Observation & Teacher Interview (daycare setting)

• Family Interview and Testing of Child (family)

• Measures of Fathering:

- Quantity & Quality of Care

- Educational Beliefs & Goals

- Personality (Big Five)

- Life Satisfaction (domain-specific)

- Marital Quality

Thank you for your attention!

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Kalicki

bernhard.kalicki@ifp.bayern.de