Moderators of Fatherhood Program Effectiveness

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Abstract

Although fatherhood programs tend to help low-income fathers become more involved parents, not all participating fathers benefit equally from those programs. In this chapter we focus on identifying factors that can explain why exposure to the same intervention results in different fathering outcomes. Longitudinal data were collected from 252 fathers randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups over a 4-month period. Three moderators of relationships between intervention and fathering outcomes were examined: fathers’ residential status, incarceration history, and personal challenges. Findings revealed that the intervention effect was not significantly affected by personal challenges perceived by fathers. Residential status, however, moderated the relationships: specifically, the positive effects of intervention on parenting satisfaction and coparenting relationship with the child’s mother tended to be larger among nonresidential than residential fathers.

Author

• Young-Il Kim, George Fox University