Abstract

Previous investigations of the developmental outcomes of fathering have primarily focused on English-speaking families and utilized cross-sectional methodologies. The present studies used intergenerational and longitudinal methods to illustrate the roles that high risk Francophone fathers play in their children’s social, cognitive, and behavioural development. Three key questions were examined: (1) What were the direct and indirect pathways between fathers’ absence in one generation and fathers’ absence in the next generation? (2) To what extent did fathers’ presence and parenting predict children’s later cognitive and behavioural functioning? (3) To what extent did fathers’ presence and parenting differentially affect the development of sons and daughters? Data from the Concordia Longitudinal Risk Project were employed to address these questions. Results indicated that there was a direct pathway from fathers’ absence in one generation to fathers’ absence in the next generation for both males and females that was not reduced by taking socioeconomic and mental health factors into consideration. Fathers’ presence in middle childhood predicted fewer internalizing problems in pre-adolescence, especially for girls, and fathers’ parenting, specifically positive parental control, predicted higher Performance IQ scores and fewer internalizing problems over six years later. Gender differences were illustrated in the current data. Specifically, males and females demonstrated different indirect pathways between fathers’ absence in two generations through childhood aggression, neighborhood risk, educational attainment, and substance abuse. Moreover, fathers’ presence predicted fewer internalizing problems for girls only. Together, these findings add to the increasing body of literature suggesting that fathers make important contributions to their children’s development, and highlight the advantages of developing policies and affordable programs that promote positive fathering and encourage socioeconomically disadvantaged fathers to spend time with their children.