Having Dad Around Can Make Kids Smart
Involved fathers influence their children’s intellectual abilities and emotional well-being
“Kids whose fathers were active had fewer behavioural problems.”
STUDY’S LEAD AUTHOR ERIN POUGNET
STUDY’S LEAD AUTHOR ERIN POUGNET
to success?
Fathers who are actively involved with their children. René Bruemmer reports on a long-term study out of Concordia University. Fathers who are actively involved in raising their children – whether or not they live with them – can have a large influence on their intellectual abilities and emotional well-being, according to a new research study from Concordia University.
“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 atrisk families,” said Erin Pougnet, a PhD candidate in Concordia’s department of psychology and a member of the Centre for Research in Human Development (CRDH), who was lead author on the study.
“Regardless of whether fathers live with their children, fathers who displayed positive parenting skills were more likely to have emotionally well-adjusted children and children who are better problem solvers later on,” Pougnet said.
Researchers emphasized this didn’t mean the children of single mothers were at a disadvantage, however.
“While our study examined the important role dads play in the development of their children, kids don’t necessarily do poorly without their fathers,” said co-author Lisa A. Serbin, a professor in Concordia’s department of psychology.
“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.”
Researchers looked at 138 children and their families from innercity neighbourhoods in Montreal. The children were evaluated at the ages of 3 to 5 in the early 2000s, and again when they were between 9 and 13. The children completed intelligence tests and their mothers filled out questionnaires about their home environment and couple conflict. All the children were recruited from the larger Concordia Longitudinal Risk Research Project, an intergenerational study started in 1976.
School teachers were also interviewed, to give a more objective assessment of the children’s behaviour.
After accounting for factors such as income, home life and parents’ education level, the study found children who had involved fathers were more likely to score higher on problem-solving tasks and had decreased emotional problems such as sadness, social withdrawal and anxiety in school. Girls were the most affected by absentee fathers.
“Girls whose fathers were absent during their middle childhood (between 9 and 13) had significantly higher levels of emotional problems at school than girls whose fathers were present,” Pougnet said. She noted that other factors linked to parental absence, like a lack of support or discipline, could also play a role in behaviour issues.
Positive parenting skills include setting limits, using rewards and consequences to structure behaviour as opposed to constantly punishing, and allowing enough free rein so kids feel free to explore and learn in a protected environment.
The findings were considered especially relevant for Quebec, where biological fathers are not present in households in 22 per cent of families as compared with 13 per cent in all of Canada, according to Statistics Canada.
Programs that encourage increased contact between fathers and their children should be expanded, the study’s authors noted, including parental leave and parenting classes.
More aid for single mothers or young families that are often stressed by financial and time constraints, making it harder to be a positive parent, are also needed, as well as a greater focus on highquality daycare, where children can also receive positive stimulation, Serbin said.
School teachers were also interviewed, to give a more objective assessment of the children’s behaviour.
After accounting for factors such as income, home life and parents’ education level, the study found children who had involved fathers were more likely to score higher on problem-solving tasks and had decreased emotional problems such as sadness, social withdrawal and anxiety in school. Girls were the most affected by absentee fathers.
“Girls whose fathers were absent during their middle childhood (between 9 and 13) had significantly higher levels of emotional problems at school than girls whose fathers were present,” Pougnet said. She noted that other factors linked to parental absence, like a lack of support or discipline, could also play a role in behaviour issues.
Positive parenting skills include setting limits, using rewards and consequences to structure behaviour as opposed to constantly punishing, and allowing enough free rein so kids feel free to explore and learn in a protected environment.
The findings were considered especially relevant for Quebec, where biological fathers are not present in households in 22 per cent of families as compared with 13 per cent in all of Canada, according to Statistics Canada.
Programs that encourage increased contact between fathers and their children should be expanded, the study’s authors noted, including parental leave and parenting classes.
More aid for single mothers or young families that are often stressed by financial and time constraints, making it harder to be a positive parent, are also needed, as well as a greater focus on highquality daycare, where children can also receive positive stimulation, Serbin said.
The paper, Fathers’ Influence on Children’s Cognitive and Behavioural Functioning, was co-written by Pougnet, Serbin, Dale M. Stack and Alex E. Schwartzman of Concordia.
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