Skip to main content

Mexican American Mothers and Fathers’ Prenatal Attitudes and Father Prenatal Involvement: Links to Mother–Infant Interaction and Father Engagement

Sex Roles volume 60, pages 510–526 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The present study examines the associations between Mexican American mothers’ and fathers’ pregnancy intentions, fathers’ participation in prenatal activities and mother–infant interactions and father engagement with 9 month-old infants in a nationally representative sample of 735 infants and their parents participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth Cohort. After controlling for a host of variables, multiple regressions revealed that when mothers wanted the pregnancy, fathers engaged in more literacy and caregiving activities than when mothers did not want the pregnancy. When couples disagreed about wanting the pregnancy, fathers engaged in more literacy activities and showed more warmth than when they agreed. Relationship quality significantly moderated the effects of parents’ wantedness on mother–infant interactions and fathers’ engagement in literacy activities.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  • Ainsworth, M. D. (1969). Object relations, dependency, and attachment: a theoretical review of the infant–mother relationship. Child Development, 40, 969–1025.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ainsworth, M. D. (1973). Infant crying and maternal responsiveness. In F. Rebelsky & L. Dorman (Eds.), Child development and behavior (2nd ed.). Oxford: Alfred A. Knopf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arcia, E., Skinner, M., & Bailey, D. (2001). Models of acculturation and health behaviors among Latino immigrants to the US. Social Science & Medicine, 53, 41–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bachrach, C., & Sonenstein, F. (1998). Report of the working group on male fertility and family formation. In Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (Ed.), Nurturing fatherhood: Improving data and research on male fertility, family formation, and fatherhood. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barber, J. S., Axinn, W., & Thornton, A. (1999). Unwanted childbearing, health and mother–child relationships. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 40, 231–257.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baydar, N. (1995). Consequences for children of their birth planning status. Family Planning Perspectives, 27, 228–235.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W. (1990). Psychology of acculturation: Understanding individuals moving between cultures. In R. W. Brislin (Ed.), Applied Cultural Psychology: Cross-cultural research and methodology series (pp. 232–253). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bethel, J., Green, J. L., Kalton, G., & Nord, C. (2005). Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), Sampling. Volume 2 of the ECLS-B Methodology Report for the 9-Month Data Collection, 2001-02 (NCES 2005-147). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

  • Black, M. M., Dubowitz, H., & Starr, R. H. (1999). African American fathers in low-income, urban families: development, behavior, and home environment of their three-year-olds. Child Development, 70, 967–978.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronte-Tinkew, J., Ryan, S., Carrano, J., & Moore, K. (2007). Father’s prenatal behaviors and attitudes and links to involvement with infants. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 69, 977–990.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S., & Eisenberg, L. (Eds.) (1995). The best intentions: Unintended pregnancy and the well-being of children and families. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

  • Buriel, R. (1993). Childrearing orientation in Mexican American families: the influence of generation and sociocultural factors. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 987–1000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buriel, R., Calzada, S., & Vasquez, R. (1988). The relationship of traditional Mexican American culture to adjustment and delinquency among three generations of Mexican American male adolescents. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 4, 41–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera, N. J., & Garcia Coll, C. (2004). Latino fathers: Uncharted territory in need of much exploration. In M. E. Lamb (Ed.), The role of father in child development (4th ed., pp. 417–452). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera, N. J., Brooks-Gunn, J., Moore, K., West, J., Boller, K., & Tamis-LeMonda, C. (2002). Bridging research and policy: Including fathers of young children in national studies. In C. Tamis-Lamonda, & N. Cabrera (Eds.), Handbook of father involvement: Multidisciplinary perspectives (pp. 489–524). Mahwah, NJ, London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera, N., Shannon, J. D., West, J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2006). Parental interactions with Latino infants: Variation by country of origin and English proficiency. Child Development, 74, 1190–1207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera, N., Fitzgerald, H. E., Bradley, R. H., & Roggman, L. (2007a). Modeling the dynamics of paternal influences on children over the life course. Journal of Applied Developmental Science, 11, 185–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera, N., Hofferth, N., & Eun Chae, S. (2007b). Determinants of father engagement: Variation by fathers’ ethnicity. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Conference, Montreal Canada.

  • Cabrera, N., Fagan, J., & Farrie, D. (2008). Explaining the long reach of fathers’ prenatal involvement on later paternal engagement with children. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 70, 1094–1107.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, M., McLanahan, S., & England, P. (2002). Union formation and dissolution in Fragile Families. Paper presented at the Annual Meetings of the Population Association of America, March 29–31, 2001, Washington, D.C.

  • Cauce, A. M., & Rodriguez, M. D. (2001). Latino families: Myths and realities. In J. M. Contreras, A. Kerns, & A. M. Neal-Bernett (Eds.), Latino children and families in the United States (pp. 3–26). Westport, CT: Greenwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook, J. L., Jones, R. M., Dick, A. J., & Singh, A. (2005). Men’s role in father involvement: The importance of personal expectations. Fathering, 3, 165–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuellar, I., Arnold, B., & Gonzales, G. (1995). Cognitive referents of acculturation: Assessment of cultural constructs in Mexican Americans. Journal of Community Psychology, 23, 339–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, M. E., Goeke-Morey, M. C., & Raymond, J. (2004). Fathers in family context: Effects of marital quality and marital conflict. In M. E. Lamb (Ed.), The role of the father in child development (4th ed., pp. 196–221). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Easterbrooks, M. A., & Goldberg, W. A. (1984). Toddler development in the family: impact of father involvement and parenting characteristics. Child Development, 55, 740–752.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H., Jr. (1998). The life course as developmental theory. Child Development, 69, 1–12.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fagan, J., Bernd, E., & Whiteman, V. (2007a). Adolescent fathers’ parenting stress, social support, and involvement with infants. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 17, 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fagan, J., Schmitz, M., & Lloyd J. (2007b). The relationship between adolescent and young fathers’ capital and marital plans of couples expecting a baby. Family Relations, 56, 231–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. (2004). America’s children: Key national indicators of well-being. Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

  • Finer, L., & Henshaw, S. K. (2006). Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 38, 90–96.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fonagy, P., Steele, H. J., & Steele, M. (1991). Maternal representations of attachment during pregnancy predict the organization of infant–mother attachment one-year of age. Child Development, 62, 891–905.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Formosa, D., Gonzalez, N., Barrera, M., & Dumka, L. (2006). Interparental relations, maternal employment, and fathering in Mexican American families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 69, 26–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox, R. A., & Solis-Camara, P. (1997). Parenting of young children by fathers in Mexico and the United States. The Journal of Social Psychology, 137, 489–495.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia Coll, C. T., & Pachter, L. M. (2002). Ethnic and minority parenting. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting: Vol. 4, Social conditions and applied parenting (2nd ed., pp. 1–20), Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, C. C., Duggan, A. K., Andrews, J. S., & Serwint, J. R. (1997). The father’s role during infancy: Factors that influence maternal expectations. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 151, 705–711.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harwood, R., Leyendecker, B., Carlson, V., Asencio, M., & Miller, A. (2002). Parenting among Latino families in the U.S. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting: Vol. 4, Social conditions and applied parenting (2nd ed., pp. 21–46). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henshaw, S. K. (1998). Unintended pregnancy in the United States. Family Planning Perspectives, 30(1), 24–29.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofferth, S. L. (2003). Race/ethnic differences in father involvement in two-parent families: culture, context or economy? Journal of Family Issues, 24, 185–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ipsa, J., Sable, M., Porteer, N., & Csizmadia, A. (2007). Pregnancy acceptance, parenting stress, and toddler attachment in low-income black families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 69, 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelley, M. L., Smith, T. S., Green, A. P., Berndt, A. E., & Rogers, M. C. (1998). Importance of fathers’ parenting to African-American toddler’s social and cognitive development. Infant Behavior and Development, 21, 733–744.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koreman, S., Kaestner, R., & Joyce, T. (2002). Consequences for infants of parental disagreement in pregnancy intention. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 34, 198–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, M. E. (Ed.). (1997). The role of the father in child development (pp. 66–103). New York: Wiley.

  • Lamb, M. E., Pleck, J., & Charnov, E. (1987). A biosocial perspective on paternal behavior and involvement. In J. Lancaster & J. Altmann (Eds.), Parenting across the life span: Biosocial dimensions (pp. 111–142). Hawthorne, NY: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leathers, S. J., & Kelley, M. (2000). Unintended pregnancy and depressive symptoms among first-time mothers and fathers. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 70, 523–531.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsiglio, W. (2004). Studying fathering trajectories: In-depth interviewing and sensitizing concepts. In R. Day & M. Lamb, (Eds.), Conceptualizing and measuring father involvement (pp. 61-82). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Center for Education Statistics. (2005). Early childhood longitudinal study, birth cohort: 9-month public-use data file user’s manual. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

  • Palkovitz, R. (1985). Fathers’ birth attendance, early contact, and extended contact with their newborns: A critical review. Child Development, 56, 392–406.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parke, R. D., Coltrane, S., Duffy, S., Buriel, R., Dennis, J., Powers, J., et al. (2004). Economic stress, parenting, and child adjustment in Mexican American and European American families. Child Development, 75, 1613–1631.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pleck, J. H. (1997). Paternal involvement: Levels, sources, and consequences. In M. E. Lamb (Ed.), The role of the father in child development (pp. 66–103). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sangi-Haghpeykar, H., Mehta, M., Posner, S., & Poindexter, A. (2005). Paternal influences on the timing of prenatal care among Hispanics. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 9, 159–163.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santelli, J., Rochaat, R., Hatfield-Timajchy, K., Gilbert, B. C., Curtis, K., Cabral, R., Hirsh, J., Schieve, L., & Unintended Pregnancy Working Group (2003). The measurement and meaning of unintended pregnancy. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 35, 94–101.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shannon, J. D., Cabrera, N., Tamis-LeMonda, C. S., & Lamb, M. E. (2003). Determinants of father involvement: presence/absence and quality of engagement. Presented at the biennial Society of Research and Child Development meetings, Tampa Bay, FL

  • Solis-Camara, P., & Fox, R. A. (1995). Parenting among mothers with young children in Mexico and the United States. The Journal of Social Psychology, 135, 591–599.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sumner, G., & Spietz, A. (1994). NCAST caregiver/parent–child interaction teaching manual. Seattle: University of Washington, School of Nursing, NCAST Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamis-LeMonda, C. S., Shannon, J. D., Cabrera, N., & Lamb, M. E. (2004). Resident fathers and mothers at play with their 2- and 3-year-olds: Contributions to language and cognitive development. Child Development, 75, 1806–1820.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toth, J. & Xu, X. (1999). Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Fathers' Involvement A Racial/Ethnic Comparison of African American, Hispanic, and White Fathers. Youth & Society, 31(1), 76–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Census Bureau. (2000). The Hispanic population in the United States. Current Population Reports. Series P-28, Special Censuses, 20–535. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce.

  • Weiss, R. S. (1974). The provisions of social relationships. In Z. Rubin (Ed.), Doing unto others (pp. 17–26). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong-Rieger, D. & Quintana, D. (1987). Comparative acculturation of Southeast Asian and Hispanic immigrants and sojourners. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 18, 345–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zuravin, S. J. (1991). Unplanned childbearing and family size: Their relationship to child neglect and abuse. Family Planning Perspectives, 23, 155–161.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. University of Maryland, 3304 Benjamini Bldg, Room 3304N, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Natasha J. Cabrera

  2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Jacqueline D. Shannon

  3. Senior Research Associate, Center for Clinical and Community Research, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA

    Stephanie J. Mitchell

  4. Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA

    Jerry West

Authors
  1. Natasha J. Cabrera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jacqueline D. Shannon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Stephanie J. Mitchell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jerry West
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Natasha J. Cabrera.

Additional information

This research was partly supported by NIH grant (R03 HD049670-01) to the first author. Dr. Shannon was supported by a grant from the American Educational Research Association (“AERA Grants Program”, NSF Grant #REC-0310268 and the PSC-City University of New York Grant Award# 60103-37-38).

Appendix

Appendix

Correlations among Mexican American Couples’ Wantedness, Mother–Infant Interaction and Father Engagement

  Wantedness Partner relationship quality Mother–infant Father engagement
Mom wants Dad wants Couple agreement Mom happy Dad happy Interaction Literacy Caregiving Warmth
Wantedness
 Mom wants – .06 .55*** .20*** .05 .02 .07 −.08 .02
 Dad wants    .13** −.01 .02 .02 −.02 −.08* .04
 Couple agreement     .22*** .09* −.02 −.06 −.10* .03
Partner relationship quality
 Mom happy      .38*** −.04 .00 .01 .03
 Dad happy       −.01 .08* .12*** .10**
Mother–infant interactions
 NCATS parent score        .15*** .09* .09*
Father engagement
 Literacy (z score)         .33*** .10**
 Caregiving (z score)          .31***
 Warmth (z score)          –

*p ≤ .05. **p ≤ .01. ***p ≤ .001

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cabrera, N.J., Shannon, J.D., Mitchell, S.J. et al. Mexican American Mothers and Fathers’ Prenatal Attitudes and Father Prenatal Involvement: Links to Mother–Infant Interaction and Father Engagement. Sex Roles 60, 510–526 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9576-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9576-2

Keywords

  • Pregnancy intentions
  • Mother–child interactions
  • Parent involvement