Father Involvement and Child Well-Being 2006Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)mdashChild Well-Being Topical Module

Jane Lawler Dye Fertility and Family Statistics Branch US Census Bureau

Purpose bull Research suggests a positive association between father

involvement and child well being (Menestrel 1999) However the relationship has not been investigated in much depth

bull The well-being of children can be affected by many circumstances and parental behaviors Research shows that for young children father involvement is associated with better cognitive development psychological outcomes and behavior (Radin 1994) However the effects of father involvement may depend on factors such as whether the father is a biological or stepfather engagement time and fatherrsquos educational attainment (Hofferth 2006)

Data Source bull 2004 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)

bull The SIPP provides a large nationally representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population age 15 and over with data on income labor force participation and participation in government assistance programs as well as other characteristics ndash Data in this presentation are from a sample and therefore are subject to

sampling and nonsampling error For more information about the source and accuracy of the data go to httpwwwblscensusgovsippsourcehtml

ndash All statements in this presentation have been statistically tested at the 90 percent level of confidence

ndash For more information about the SIPP go to wwwsippcensusgovsipp

Child Well-Being Topical Module bull The Child Well-Being Topical Module was administered to

parents of children under age 18 from June 2006 to September 2006 in wave 8 of the SIPP 2004 panel

bull A designated parent was asked a series of questions related to father involvement In this analysis we include the following Did the biological step adopted father or male guardian ndash Praise the child ndash Talk or play with the child ndash Eat dinner with the child

The mother was selected as the designated parent unless absent ndash then the father was selected If neither parent was present a female guardian was selected If no female guardian was present a male guardian was designated parent

Metro Status bull Children who lived in nonmetropolitan areas

were ndash more likely to eat dinner with their father at least five days per week although the difference is small

Bivariate Analysisbull School Attachment

ndash Child often likes school ndash Child often works hard in school ndash Child is often interested in school work

bull Academic Performance ndash Child is in gifted classes ndash Child never repeated a grade ndash Child was never expelled or suspended

School Attachment bull In the bivariate analysis there was no significant

difference in school attachment by father involvement

bull Between 86 and 89 percent of children often liked school worked hard in school or were interested inschool work regardless of the degree of father involvement

Academic Performance bull Children who had dinner with their father at least five days per week werendash less likely to be in gifted classes ndash more likely to have never been expelled or suspended

bull Children who talked or played with their father at least once per day werendash more likely to be in gifted classes ndash more likely to never been expelled or suspended

bull Children who were praised by their father at least once per day werendash more likely to have never repeated a grade ndash more likely to have never been expelled or suspended

among 12 to 17 year olds

bull Biological fathers were more involved than step-fathers -- although the differences were small

bull There was no significant difference in father involvement based on fatherrsquos marital status among this group of children who have a father in the household

Type of Relationship with Father and Fatherrsquos Marital Status

Race and Hispanic Originbull Hispanic children were most likely to eat dinner

regularly with their father (81 percent) versus ndash 69 percent of Black children

bull Non-Hispanic White children were more likely to talk or play with their father (77 percent) versus ndash 69 percent of Hispanic children

bull Hispanic children were less likely to be praised every day (70 percent) versus ndash 75 percent of non-Hispanic White children

Fatherrsquos Educational Attainment and FamilyIncome

bull In general children whose father had less education and less family income tended to be more likely to eat dinner together at least five days per week

bull Children whose father had higher educational attainment tended to be more likely to be talked to or played with and be praised by a father every day

bull Children who had a lower family income ($2999 per month or less) tended to be talked to or played with and praised by a father less than those with an income of $6000 per month or more

Region bull Children who live in the Northeast were least likely

to eat dinner with their father at least five days per week (70 percent) versus ndash 77 percent in the West

bull Children in the Midwest were most likely to talk or play with their father every day (80 percent) versus ndash 73 percent in the South

bull Children in the South were least likely to be praised every day by their father (70 percent) versus ndash 77 percent in the West

Figure 4 Percent of Children 6 to 17 Years Old by Father Figure 1 Percent of Children 6 to 17 Years Old Who Were Involved Trends in Father Involvement

bull Among children 6 to 17 years old who live with a father ndash the percentage eating dinner with a father at least five

days per week declined from 76 percent in 2003 to 74 percent in 2006

ndash the percentage who talked or played with a father for five minutes or more at least once a day on average rose about 4 percentage points

ndash the percent who were praised by a father at least once a day increased 6 percentage points

Father may be biological step adoptive or a male guardian

Father Involvement by Age and Sex

bull In 2006 among children 6 to 17 years old with a father in the household ndash Fathers were more involved with young children than

older children bull Children 6 to 11 years old were

ndash 7 percentage points more likely to eat dinner with a father five or more days a week

ndash 9 percentage points more likely to talk or play with father and

ndash 15 percentage points more likely to be praised at least once a day

ndash Fathers were about equally involved with sons and daughters

bull Children in single-parent-father households had more involvement with their father through talking or playing and praise

ndash In one parent households 8 out of 10 children talked or played with a father at least once per day

ndash 77 percent of children in one parent households were praised at least once per day

Number of Parents present

Figure 7 School Attachment by Father Involvement 2006 Involvement Race and Hispanic Origin 2006 with their Father 2003-2006 Universe Children with a father

in the household Like school Work hard in school Are interested in schoolwork Eat dinner with child at least five days per week Eat dinner together at least 5 days per week Universe Children with a father in the household Universe Children with a father

Talk or Play with child at least once per day TalkPlay at least once a day in the household 88 88 87 88 88 87 88 89 87 88 88 87 88 89 88 88 87 Praised at least once a day 86 Praise child at least once per day

81 1000 77

75 75 73 73 74 74 72 70 69 69 900

800

700

600

500

400

Less than 5 days per At least 5 days per Less than once a At least once a day Less than once a At least once a day 300 week week day day Dinner together Talk or play together Praised 2003 2004 2006 White alone Non-Hispanic Black alone Asian alone Hispanic

Questions are only asked if a biological step or adoptive father or male guardian is in the household US Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation 2004 Panel Wave 8 Child Well-Being Topical Module US Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation 2004 Panel Wave 8 Child Well-Being Topical Module Source US Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation Panels 2001 and 2004 Child Well-Being Topi 1cal

Modules

Figure 5 Percent of Children 6 to 17 Years Old by Indicators of Father Figure 2 Percent of Children 6 to 17 Years Old by Indicators of Figure 8 Academic Performance by Father InvolvementInvolvement Fathers Educational Attainment and Family Income 2006 Father Involvement Age and Sex 2006 2006

Were in gifted class Eat dinner together at least 5 days per week Eat dinner with Father at least 5 days per week Universe Children with a father Universe Children with a father Never repeated a gradeUniverse Children with a father in the household TalkPlay at least once a day in the household TalkPlay with Father at least once a day in the household Were never expelled suspended Praised at least once a day

94 93 93 93 93 93 92 94 93 Praised by Father at least once a day 90 90 90

81 81 81 80 80 78 77 77 76 75 75 76 75 76 75 75 73 74 76 74 75 74 74 73 73 72 72 72 71 71 71 70 69 68 66 65

24 21 20 20 19 18

Less than 5 days per At least 5 days per Less than once a day At least once a day Less than once a day At least once a day Less than High school Some college Under $1500 $1500 to $3000 to $4500 to $6000 and week week

high school graduate or more $2999 $4499 $5999 over Dinner together Talk or Play together Praised

6 to 11 years 12 to 17 years Male Female Fatherrsquos educational attainment Family income for 12 to 17 year old children US Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation 2004 Panel Wave 8 Child Well-Being Topical Module US Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation 2004 Panel Wave 8 Child Well-Being Topical Module

US Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation 2004 Panel Wave 8 Child Well-Being Topical Module

Figure 3 Percent of Children 6 to 17 Years Old by Indicators of Father Figure 9 Odds Ratios for Children 6 to 17 years by Father Involvement and Figure 6 Percent of Children 6 to 17 Years Old by Indicators ofInvolvement Number of Parents Present Relationship with Father and Indicators of School Engagement and Academic Performance 2006 Father Involvement Region and Metropolitan Status 2006

Fathers Marital Status 2006 Dinner together at least 5 days per week TalkPlay at least once per day Praised at least once per day

Eat dinner together at least 5 days per week Universe Children with a father Universe Children with a father Eat dinner together at least 5 days per week in the household TalkPlay at least once a day in the householdTalkPlay at least once a day Praised at least once a day Often Likes SchoolPraised at least once a day

80 81 80 77 75 75

77 76 77 75 76 76 75 76 75 76 76 Often Works Hard in School74 74 74 75 73 73 73 73 74 74 75 75 74 74 74

72 72 71 70 70 70 70 67

65 66

Is Often Interested in Schoolwork

In Gifted classes

Never expelled or suspended1

Never repeated a grade

None present One parent Two parents Biological Step-child Adopted child Married Unmarried

+

0 05 1 15 2 25 3 35 child Northeast Midw est South West In metropolitan area Nonmetropolitan area

+ - 005lt=plt0 - Significant at 001lt=plt005 - Significant at 0001lt=plt001 - Significant at plt0001 Number of parents present Father s marital status Relationship with father 1 Restricted to 12 to 17 year old children

US Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation 2004 Panel Wave 8 Child Well-Being Topical Module 1 US Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation 2004 Panel Wave 8 Child Well-Being Topical Module US Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation 2004 Panel Wave 8 Child Well-Being Topical Module

Multivariate Analysis

bull Dependent variables ndash School attachment ndash Academic performance

bull Independent variables ndash Father Involvement

bull Control variables ndash Number of parents present type of relationship with

father age sex race Hispanic origin fatherrsquos educational attainment metropolitan status family income and region

ndash For households where the mother was present controlling for mother involvement dampened the effects of father involvement (data not shown)

Conclusion bull Father involvement was significantly related to some aspects of

child well-being Academic performance ndash Especially with regard to the indicator that reflects disciplinary action --

Never suspended or expelled

bull Children who were praised every day who spent time talking or playing with their father every day andor who ate dinner with theirfather at least five days per week had significantly higher odds of never being suspended or expelled from school

ndash Children whose father praised them every day had higher odds of being in gifted classes Surprisingly however children who had dinner with theirfather at least five days per week had lower odds of being in gifted classes than those who ate dinner with their father less often

School engagement

ndash Children who talked or played with their father every day had greater odds of being characterized as ldquooften interested in school workrdquo compared to those who spent less time with their father talking or playing

ndash Childrenrsquos odds of experiencing the other measures ofschool engagement (often likes school works hard inschool) and of never repeating a grade showed no significant difference associated with father involvement

Contact

Jane Lawler Dye

US Census Bureau

Fertility and Family Statistics

(301) 763-6057

JaneLDyecensusgov

This poster is released to inform interested parties of ongoing research and to encourage discussion Any views expressed U S C E N S U S B U R E A U are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the US Census Bureau

Helping You Make Informed Decisions