Positive Father Involvement and Social Resilience in Children at Risk of Child Maltreatment

Background: Ample empirical evidence suggests that positive father involvement is linked to better outcomes and well-being in children. Despite the considerable growth and advancement in fatherhood research, relatively less is known about the effects of father involvement on children’s social resilience because previous studies have mainly focused on child behavioral and cognitive outcomes. Further, the benefits of positive father involvement on child social resilience have been understudied in at-risk children, such as children who have experienced child maltreatment. To fill these critical gaps in our knowledge, the current study sought to 1) examine the association between positive father involvement and social resilience (i.e., social competence, positive peer relationships) and 2) determine if this association differs by children’s maltreatment experiences (i.e., perpetrator identity).

Methods: This study included 681 children (age = 12 years) drawn from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), which is a longitudinal study that collected data from children, parents, and teachers to examine the long-term effects of child maltreatment on children’s development. Father involvement was measured at age 12, using child reports of father-child interactions on a 6-item scale (e.g., level of closeness, trust, caring, shared decision making). The perpetrator of child maltreatment was assessed using child protective services (CPS) records from birth to age 12. We measured children’s exposure to maltreatment perpetrated by fathers (alone or with mothers) and maltreatment perpetrated by mothers alone. Children’s social competence was measured at age 12, using the Total Social Competence subscale from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), completed by the parent. Positive peer relationships were measured at age 12, using a 3-item peer-relationships scale (e.g., children are friendly towards me), completed by children. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) modeling was performed.

Results: Results from the GEE models revealed that higher levels of positive father involvement predicted greater social competence (B = .292, p = .001) and better peer relationships (B = .015, p = .022), even after controlling for child age, race, father’s residential status, and mother involvement. The interaction test indicated significant interaction effects between child maltreatment and father involvement (B = .042, p = .006) on peer relationships. Specifically, the positive association between father involvement and positive peer relationships was stronger for children who have been maltreated by fathers.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of positive father involvement in building social resilience in at-risk children. Intervention programs that aim to enhance healthy social functioning among at-risk children may benefit from targeting father involvement as a key intervention component. Notably, the protective effects of father involvement on children’ peer relationships were stronger for those with a history of exposure to maltreatment perpetrated by fathers. Practitioners working with at-risk children, including those who have experienced father-perpetrated maltreatment, should consider engaging fathers in services to support high-quality father involvement and the development of strong father-child relationships.