Fathers who actively engage in raising their children can help make their offspring smarter and better behaved, according to Canadian researchers at Concordia University.
Published in the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, the long-term study examined how fathers can positively influence the development of kids through hands-on parenting.
“Regardless of whether fathers lived with their children, their ability to set appropriate limits and structure their children’s behavior, positively influenced problem-solving and decreased emotional problems, such as sadness, social withdrawal and anxiety,” said co-author Erin Pougnet, a PhD candidate.
A total of 138 children and their parents took part in the study and were assessed by researchers in three separate sessions, at age 3 to 5, and again at 9 to 13 years old.
The findings should encourage governments to formulate policies that encourage increased and positive forms of contact between children and their fathers, such as parental leave and parenting classes that emphasize the role of fathers.
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