Confidence Is Key: Exploring the Sources of Parenting Self-Efficacy Beliefs Among Non-Resident African American Fathers

Background & Purpose: The number of African American children living without their biological fathers is steadily increasing (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012; as cited in The White House, 2012). However, our knowledge of the involvement of African American non-resident fathers in the lives of their children is severely lacking. Studies are needed that assist social work practitioners and policymakers with understanding the lived experiences of non-resident fathers and the various factors that both positively and negatively influence their involvement with their children.  The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine, through quantitative methods, those factors (developmental history, parenting self-efficacy, child age, child sex, parental relationship status, parenting self-efficacy) that best predict father involvement among a sample of non-resident African American fathers. Through qualitative methods, this study also explored how the predictors identified as statistically significant contribute to (i.e., support and/or impede) father involvement using a subsample of participants from the quantitative phase of the study.

Method: This study employed a cross-sectional sequential explanatory research design, wherein previously validated quantitative surveys (N=110) that measure developmental history, parenting self-efficacy, and co-parental alliance were orally administered. In addition, a separate questionnaire that captured a variety of demographic characteristics (i.e., child age, child sex, co-parental relationship status, history of incarceration, level of education, income, etc.) was also administered. The quantitative phase of the study was followed by semi-structured qualitative interviews (N=8).

Results: According to the results of the Multiple Regression Analysis, Parental relationship status, or having no relationship of any kind with the child’s mother, emerged as the strongest predictor of father involvement (β= .37, p < .001). Furthermore, parenting self-efficacy was the second strongest predictor (β= -.32, p < .001). Overall, these results indicated that those who have no relationship of any kind with their child’s mother and low levels of parenting self-efficacy tend to also have low levels of father involvement (F=20.11, p < .001). Furthermore, results of the Canonical Correlation Analysis revealed that non-resident African American fathers are less likely to be supportive of their child’s mother and engage in discipline, monitoring, encouragement and praise with their children when they have the following characteristics: low levels of parenting self-efficacy, negative co-parenting alliances, less than friendly relationships with their child’s mother (i.e., unfriendly relationship or no relationship of any kind) and a marital status that indicates they have never been divorced or separated (Pair 1: Wilks’ Lambda= .44, F= 5.13, p=.000)/ Pair 2: Wilks’ Lambda= .77, F= 5.13, p=.004). Qualitative results revealed the major sources of encouragement and support necessary for building a strong sense of parenting self-efficacy among non-resident African American fathers.

Conclusions: This study uncovers the need for interventions that are designed to assist non-resident fathers with addressing the underlying issues that often influence the development of a strong sense of parenting self-efficacy. It also provides strategies that can be applied in an effort to develop confidence in the paternal role, thereby promoting the involvement of non-resident African American fathers in the lives of their children.