Hands-on dads give kids an edge

Concordia study links fathers' presence to enhanced intellect, well-being among children

2011-08-31

(Press-News.org) This release is available in French.

Montreal, August 30, 2011 — Fathers who actively engage in raising their children can help make their offspring smarter and better behaved, according to new research from Concordia University.

Published in the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, the long-term study examined how fathers can positively influence the development of their kids through hands-on parenting.

"Fathers make important contributions in the development of their children's behaviour and intelligence," says Erin Pougnet, a PhD candidate in the Concordia University Department of Psychology and a member of the Centre for Research in Human Development (CRDH).

"Compared with other children with absentee dads, kids whose fathers were active parents in early and middle childhood had fewer behaviour problems and higher intellectual abilities as they grew older — even among socio-economically at-risk families."

A patriarch's influence

"Regardless of whether fathers lived with their children, their ability to set appropriate limits and structure their children's behaviour positively influenced problem-solving and decreased emotional problems, such as sadness, social withdrawal and anxiety," continues Pougnet.

A total of 138 children and their parents took part in the study and were assessed by researchers in three separate sessions.

Kids were evaluated between the ages of three- to five-years-old and again from nine to 13-years-old. They completed intelligence tests, while their mothers completed questionnaires on home environment and couple conflict. All children were recruited as part of the larger Concordia Longitudinal Risk Research Project, an intergenerational study launched in 1976.

School teachers were also recruited as observers of child behaviours outside homes. "Teachers were a somewhat more independent source of information than mothers, fathers or children themselves," says Pougnet, "because a father's absence can result in home conflict, maternal distress and child distress."

Greater impact on girls

The study found girls to be most affected by absentee dads, although the researchers caution that paternal absence can foster other problems such as lack of support or discipline.

"Girls whose fathers were absent during their middle childhood had significantly higher levels of emotional problems at school than girls whose fathers were present," says Pougnet.

Mothers, caregivers equally important

According to 2007 Statistics Canada figures, there are an increasing number of single-parent homes across the country. The agency estimates some 13 per cent of Canadian families and 22 per cent of Quebec families are comprised of households where biological fathers are absent.

"While our study examined the important role dads play in the development of their children, kids don't necessarily do poorly without their fathers," stresses co-author Lisa A. Serbin, a professor in the Concordia Department of Psychology and a CRDH member. "Mothers and other caregivers are also important. No doubt fathers have a major impact, but there are definitely many alternative ways to raise a healthy child. Some kids with no contact with fathers, or with distant dads, do well intellectually and emotionally."

The findings, however, should encourage governments to formulate policies that encourage increased and positive forms of contact between children and their fathers. "Initiatives such as parental leave for men and parenting classes that emphasize the role of fathers could help to maximize children's development from early childhood to preadolescence," says Serbin.

INFORMATION:

Partners in research

This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

About the study

The paper, "Fathers' Influence on Children's Cognitive and Behavioural Functioning: A Longitudinal Study of Canadian Families," published in the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, was co-authored by Erin Pougnet, Lisa A. Serbin, Dale M. Stack and Alex E. Schwartzman of Concordia University.

Related links:

Cited study: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/cbs/43/3/173.pdf

Concordia Department of Psychology: http://psychology.concordia.ca

Centre for Research in Human Development: http://crdh.concordia.ca

[Attachments] See images for this press release:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Mayo Clinic finds social media valuable tool to recruit study participants for rare diseases

2011-08-31

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Mayo Clinic has identified a new benefit of social media and online networking: a novel way to study rare diseases. Through patient-run websites dedicated to heart conditions and women's heart health, a team of cardiologists led by Sharonne Hayes, M.D., is reaching out to survivors of spontaneous coronary artery dissection, also known as SCAD, a poorly understood heart condition that affects just a few thousand Americans every year. Study recruitment through social media and online networks could help researchers assemble large and demographically diverse ...

Patients' underlying health linked to worse outcomes for melanoma, U-M study finds

2011-08-31

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It's not how old but how frail patients are that can predict how well they will fare after a melanoma diagnosis. In fact, young patients in poor health may have worse outcomes than older patients in good shape. A new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center finds that patients with decreased core muscle density were more likely to see their cancer spread to distant parts of the body. These findings may also support the idea that the patient's biological response to a tumor is important in controlling the spread of melanoma. ...

Mother-son ties change over time, influence teen boys' behavior, Wayne State study finds

2011-08-31

DETROIT – Relationships between mothers and their sons change during childhood and adolescence, however, not all relationships change in the same way. A Wayne State University-led study has found that how the relationships change may affect boys' behavior when they become teens. The research team, led by Christopher Trentacosta, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University, looked at 265 mother-son pairs from low-income families in Pittsburgh, starting when the boys were 5 through adolescence. The families ...

Localizing language in the brain

2011-08-31

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- New research from MIT suggests that there are parts of our brain dedicated to language and only language, a finding that marks a major advance in the search for brain regions specialized for sophisticated mental functions. Functional specificity, as it's known to cognitive scientists, refers to the idea that discrete parts of the brain handle distinct tasks. Scientists have long known that functional specificity exists in certain domains: In the motor system, for example, there is one patch of neurons that controls the fingers of your left hand, and ...

Role of soy in menopausal health reported

2011-08-31

Soy has recently been reviewed and supported for introduction into general medical practice as a treatment for distressing vasomotor symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, but its use in other medical areas, such as heart health, requires further research, according to a new report reviewing the risks and benefits of soy protein, isoflavones and metabolites in menopausal health from The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)/Wulf H. Utian Translational Science Symposium, published in the July Menopause, the peer-reviewed NAMS journal. "Although a significant amount ...

Microscope on the go: Cheap, portable, dual-mode microscope uses holograms, not lenses

2011-08-31

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30—To serve remote areas of the world, doctors, nurses and field workers need equipment that is portable, versatile, and relatively inexpensive. Now researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) have built a compact, light-weight, dual-mode microscope that uses holograms instead of lenses. The team describes the new device in a paper published today in the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal Biomedical Optics Express. Their prototype weighs about as much as a medium-sized banana and fits in the palm of a hand. And, since it ...

IU analysis changing diagnosis and management of initial UTIs in young children

2011-08-31

INDIANAPOLIS – Analysis by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers of ten years of scientific studies has resulted in changes in American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for how initial urinary tract infection in infants and toddlers is diagnosed and treated. This change will affect thousands of children every year. The findings of the IU School of Medicine investigators argue against exposing all young children who are diagnosed with an initial urinary tract infection (UTI) to a painful radiologic test and against prescribing prophylactic antibiotic treatment ...

The Great Recession could reduce school achievement for children of unemployed

2011-08-31

The Great Recession could have lingering impacts on the children of the unemployed, according to researchers at the University of Chicago. "There is growing evidence that parental job loss has adverse consequences on children's behavior, academic achievement and later employment outcomes, particularly in economically disadvantaged families," said Heather Hill, assistant professor in the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. The material hardship and stress associated with unemployment appears to reduce the quality of the home environment and ...

Future climate change may increase asthma attacks in children

2011-08-31

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have found that climate change may lead to more asthma-related health problems in children, and more emergency room (ER) visits in the next decade. The data, published in the current issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that changing levels of ozone could lead to a 7.3 percent increase in asthma-related emergency room visits by children, ages 0-17. The research team, led by Perry Sheffield, MD, Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, used regional and atmospheric ...

Beyond pills: Cardiologists examine alternatives to halt high blood pressure

2011-08-31

More and more, patients show up to appointments with hypertension expert John Bisognano, M.D., Ph.D. carrying bags full of "natural" products that they hope will help lower their blood pressure. And like most physicians, Bisognano doesn't always know if these products will do any good, or if they will cause any harm. "Right now we're seeing a cultural shift where an increasing number of people want to avoid standard pharmaceuticals," said Bisognano, professor of Medicine and director of Outpatient Cardiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "We're also ...

DARPA-ABC program supports Wyss Institute-led collaboration toward deeper understanding of anesthesia and safe drugs enabling anesthesia without the need for extensive monitoring

Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative launches innovative brain health navigator program for intuitive coordination between patients and providers

Large-scale TMIST breast cancer screening trial achieves enrollment goal, paving the way for data that provides a precision approach to screeninge

Study published in NEJM Catalyst finds patients cared for by MedStar Health’s Safe Babies Safe Moms program have better outcomes in pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum

Hands-on dads give kids an edge

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: