Waiting for Paternity: Interpersonal and Contextual Implications of the Timing of Fatherhood

Previous research suggests that children born to parents at different points in the life-span will be raised in differing contexts, and that timing of first birth has implications for parent-child relations distinct from those of simple parental chronological age. This study examined the effects of timing of parenthood on father-child relationships. Sixty families, whose first child was born when both parents were in their early twenties (mean age = 23.1) or past age thirty (mean age = 34.3) and whose child was between the ages of 3 and 5 at the time of the study, participated. Videotaped observations of father-child play were collected, along with self-reports of fathers' conceptualization of child development and identification with social roles. Contextual variables measured included connections to work and social networks.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Neville, Brian

Contributors dc:contributor

• Parke, R.D.,

• Psychology, Developmental

Identifier

(UMI)AAI9305634

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/72117