Predictors of Parenting Self-Efficacy in new Fathers

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

Objective: Parenting self-efficacy predicts parental competence and promotes good parental functioning (Schuengel & Oosterman, 2019). However, most studies have focused on the parenting self-efficacy of mothers, with fathers’ parenting self-efficacy being understudied (Sevigny & Loutzenhiser, 2010). The current investigation aims to identify predictors of new fathers’ parenting self-efficacy using Belsky’s model of determinants of parenting (1984).
Method: Participants were from a study of 182 dual-earner couples who had their first child in 2008-2009. Questionnaires were administered in two waves during the third trimester of pregnancy and three months post-partum. Data on parenting self-efficacy was pulled from the second wave while data for predictor variables was pulled from the first wave. Predictor variables were level of education, whether participants’ fathers were used as a model for childrearing, attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, Big Five personality traits, interpersonal reactivity, progressive beliefs about parent and gender roles, the belief that women are naturally better parents, ambivalent sexism, and coparenting, which was the only predictor variable measured during the second wave. A linear regression model was used to examine the associations between these variables and fathers’ parenting self-efficacy.
Results: Regression analyses showed that several factors were significant in predicting fathers’ parenting self-efficacy. Results are illustrated in Table 1. Significant predictors were level of education (b = -.06 p = .003), attachment anxiety (b = -.13, p < .001), using own father as a model for childrearing (b = -.08, p = .020), neuroticism (b = -.13, p = .02), the belief that women are naturally better parents (b = -.06, p = .03), and coparenting (b = .10, p = .04).
Conclusions and Implications: The analyses indicated that new fathers who used their own fathers as a model for childrearing showed significantly less parenting self-efficacy than those who did not use their own fathers as models for childrearing. This may be because of the culture at the time when the participants were children. Fathers during that time may have been less involved in childcare and using them as a model would then decrease parenting self-efficacy. The analyses also showed that the belief that women are naturally better parents predicted lower self-efficacy among new fathers. In this case the fathers could believe that they are naturally inferior parents and would make a poor replacement for mothers, thus lowering their self-efficacy. Lower parental self-efficacy was also predicted by higher level of education, neuroticism, and attachment anxiety, as well as lower perception of coparenting quality. This data could be used to identify expectant fathers at risk for low parenting self-efficacy and to design interventions to improve new fathers’ parenting self-efficacy.

Group Authors

Reed Donithen and Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan

Authors

• Reed Wilson Donithen, Ohio State University
  Presenting Author

• Sarah Jane Schoppe-Sullivan, Ohio State University
  Non-Presenting Author