Minority Fathers and Children’s Positive Development in the United States

This chapter reviews the literature on fathers and their unique influences on positive child development in minority children in the United States. It begins with an historical overview of the field of fatherhood research that has been conducted primarily with minority (African American and Latino) families in the United States. It then describes the central research questions framing studies on ethnic minority fathers and discusses issues related to measurement and methodology. The majority of the chapter reviews empirical findings on the ways that ethnic minority fathers are engaged with their children, the factors that differentially relate to their involvement, and how father involvement relates to children’s adjustment in a number of domains (cognitive, language, social skills, and peer relationships). Finally, the chapter suggests policy implications and directions for future research. The chapter provides an illustrative rather than definite review of theories and empirical research on fathers in minority families aiming to offer a framework in which to conceptualize fathering and children’s adjustment.