The current study is guided by Doherty, Kouneski, and Erikson’s (1998) conceptual model outlining the potential influences of responsible fathering. Unlike some previous models, this framework includes fathering inside or outside marriage and regardless of co-residence with the child. This ecological model highlights individual aspects of the father, mother, and child, as well as mother-father relationship factors and variables from the larger contextual environment. In our proposed model (see Figure 1), we examine components of each of these factors. Specifically, for father and mother factors we examine parenting skills (i.e., acceptance, rejection, discipline, and monitoring), as well as father-adolescent involvement and mother-adolescent involvement. For child/adolescent characteristics we include adolescent gender, and for co-parental relationships we examine marital quality and marital status (intact versus step families). For contextual factors we examine socioeconomic status and ethnicity. An important feature of this theoretical framework is its recognition that these factors interact in a systemic fashion to jointly influence children’s outcomes. This focus on the multi-faceted nature of father’s influence on children’s developmental adaptation is a central and guiding theme of our inquiry. Below we examine components of the model in more detail in stepfather versus intact families.
