New Fathers' Parenting Quality: Personal, Contextual, and Child Precursors

Fathers' high-quality parenting behaviors support the development of positive social and emotional adjustment in children. However, a complete understanding of individual differences in fathers' parenting quality requires considering multiple precursors to parenting in the same model. This study examined associations of three classes of predictors with fathers' parenting quality: personal (i.e., personality, intuitive parenting behavior, and progressive beliefs), contextual (i.e., supportive coparenting, romantic relationship quality, job satisfaction), and child characteristics (i.e., temperament). These predictors of observed parenting quality (i.e., sensitivity, emotional engagement, positive regard) were examined among 182 fathers who transitioned to parenthood in 2008-2010. Results from structural equation modeling analyses indicated that fathers who showed higher-quality parenting behavior with their 9-month-old infants were those who demonstrated greater intuitive parenting behavior prior to their child's birth, reported greater conscientiousness, reported greater openness to experience, and had more supportive coparenting relationships with their partners at 3 months postpartum. Implications for future research on fathers' parenting and applications to prevention and intervention programs for expectant and new parents are discussed.