Paternal involvement and paternal role belief among a sample of Lebanese fathers

Abstract

The current study used Mowders (2005) Parent Development Theory to examine whether Lebanese fathers value their paternal role and get involved in their childrens lives. Fathers (N=72) filled out an informed consent form, a demographic sheet, the Role of the Father questionnaire and the Paternal Engagement Questionnaire (QEP). Fathers age and occupational status, mothers age and occupational status and childs age and gender were examined in relation to paternal involvement and role belief. We found that fathers in our study were more likely to get involved in affective support, evocation and physical play while less likely to get involved in disciplinary tasks, physical care, and domestic work. In addition to that, scores showed a significant difference between paternal involvement and role belief and the variables: fathers age, childs age and childs gender; however no significant difference was present between paternal involvement and role belief and the variables: fathers occupation status, mothers age and mothers occupation status. Finally, results indicated that paternal involvement, as measured by engagement in different types of activities, and paternal role belief were significantly related. A father who believed more in his paternal role showed more involvement in the activity subscales with his children than the one who had lower levels of belief in his role as a father. These findings further our understanding of the correlates of father-child relationship, and underscore the need to consider applying further studies in the future in the Lebanese society.