Fathers' initial engagement levels are lower than mothers' but their growth rate is higher, narrowing the gap over time¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2023: baselines and conditions change
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Fathers started with significantly lower initial engagement than mothers but showed significantly higher growth in engagement over time. → Tiago Ferreira 2018
Evidence¶
Tiago Ferreira 2018¶
Tiago Ferreira, Joana Cadima, Marisa Matias, Joana Marina Vieira, and Teresa Leal; Karine Verschueren; Paula Mena Matos. (2018). Trajectories of Parental Engagement in Early Childhood Among Dual-Earner Families: Effects on Child Self-Control. Developmental Psychology, 54(4), 731–743. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000458
q3 · i? · associational · r2
Wald tests comparing latent growth curve intercepts and slopes between mothers and fathers in the same 156-family sample. The article reports "mother’s initial levels (intercept) of engagement to be significantly higher than father’s initial levels of engagement" and "fathers showed significantly higher growth (slope) in parental engagement."
"Wald-test revealed mother’s initial levels (intercept) of engagement to be significantly higher than father’s initial levels of engagement, /H92732(1) /H1100518.75, p /H11021.001. Compared to mothers, fathers showed significantly higher growth (slope) in parental engagement, /H92732(1) /H110059.07, p /H11005.003."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Mothers' engagement in positive activities with children remains stable over early childhood while fathers' engagement shows significant linear growth — related
- Both fathers' initial engagement level and positive growth in engagement positively predict children's behavioral self-control — related
- Parents' working hours and number of children do not add explanatory power for engagement beyond work-family conflict — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
fathers-lower-start-higher-growth-engagement |
title |
Fathers' initial engagement levels are lower than mothers' but their growth rate is higher, narrowing the gap over time |
description |
Fathers' initial engagement levels are lower than mothers' but their growth rate is higher, narrowing the gap over time |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2018 |
recheck_by |
2023 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-17 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — tiago-ferreira-2018 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.