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Religious Participation, Religious Affiliation, and Engagement With Children Among Fathers Experiencing the Birth of a New Child

The Ohio State University, Columbus, petts.1{at}osu.edu

Using data on 3,124 fathers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study examines whether the birth of a child leads men to increase their religious participation and whether this increase in participation is associated with father engagement. Results indicate that religious participation is positively related to paternal engagement and that first-time fathers with high levels of religious participation report the highest engagement with children. In addition, many fathers report an increase in religious participation in the year following their child's birth, but this increase is not associated with paternal engagement. However, a decrease in religious participation is negatively related to father engagement. Finally, religious affiliation is not related to paternal engagement. Overall, this study suggests that religiously active fathers are more likely to be engaged with their children at early ages and that religious participation may be especially important for new fathers who are transitioning into parenthood.

Key Words: father involvement • fatherhood • religious participation • religion

This version was published on September 1, 2007

Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 28, No. 9, 1139-1161 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0192513X07300788


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