Relation Between Father Connectedness and Child Outcomes

This article examines the relation between low-income fathers’ presence in their children’s lives and children’s early developmental outcomes. Children with resident or involved nonresident biological fathers showed higher levels of self-regulation and lower levels of aggression than children with unstable father connections. Children with involved nonresident biological fathers were better off than children who had transient relationships with their fathers. However, relations appear to differ by race and ethnicity, with the most straightforward relations for European Americans and Latin Americans.