Date of Award

Summer 8-17-2016

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

PhD Counseling Psychology

Department

Professional Psychology and Family Therapy

Advisor

Laura Palmer, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Brian Cole, Ph.D.

Committee Member

John E. Smith, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Mark Kiselica, Ph.D.

Keywords

Asian Americans, Father Involvement, Acculturation, Gender-Role Conflict, Parenting Self-Efficacy

Abstract

This study used a cross-sectional design in which 101 Asian American fathers completed an online survey that included questionnaires assessing for acculturation, enculturation, gender role conflict, parenting self-efficacy, father involvement, and demographic information. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of four predictor variables—including acculturation, enculturation, gender role conflict, and parenting self-efficacy—on father involvement, which served as the criterion variable. It was hypothesized that acculturation, enculturation, gender role conflict, and parenting self-efficacy predict the level of father involvement. The results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between acculturation and father involvement, indicating that higher levels of acculturation were associated with greater levels of father involvement. The relationship between enculturation and father involvement was in the expected direction of the hypothesis, although it was not statistically significant. Additionally, the relationship between gender role conflict and father involvement was examined by assessing associations between distinct patterns of gender role conflict and father involvement. Conflict between work and family relations was negatively and significantly related to father involvement; the relationship between restrictive affectionate behavior toward men and father involvement was in the expected direction of the hypothesis, although it was not statistically significant. Finally, parenting self-efficacy was significantly and positively associated with father involvement. Practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research were discussed.

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