Father wellbeing: self-efficacy, positive engagement, and reading with children

Introduction Father involvement benefits the development and wellbeing of children, and yet, the wellbeing of fathers themselves is rarely considered, as is its relationship with positive engagement activities. This work addresses the wellbeing of fathers through basic psychological need satisfaction, and the links of wellbeing with fathering self-efficacy (father parenting confidence) and with positive engagement with children through father-child home reading. Methods Responses to an online questionnaire consisting of the validated Fathering Self-Efficacy Scale (FSES), the developed Being Well in Life and Work scale (BWLW), a scale of reading beliefs and a scale of engagement in literacy development with children, were completed by 122 fathers of diverse cultures and languages in a multinational cosmopolitan setting. Results Fathering self-efficacy was associated significantly with father wellbeing through the self-efficacy aspects of positive engagement and family provision, and the sense of family provision was associated with engagement in literacy activities. Wellbeing levels were relatively high at 75% of the scale. Fathers reported infrequent and widely ranging engagement with children in literacy activities, but frequent engagement in play. Discussion Findings suggest that 1) opportunities for father self-efficacy through social connectedness with peers and positive engagement can support the wellbeing of fathers, and 2) that fostering father self-efficacy in family provision, along with father-targeted resources and approaches (such as incorporating play), can support father engagement in their children’s literacy development.