The impact of fathers’ participation in parenting, parental role satisfaction, and parenting stress on children’s social competence

This study examines fathers’ participation in parenting, parental role satisfaction, and parenting stress to contribute to the growing research on how fatherly involvement affects children’s development. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of fathers’ parenting-related variables on children’s social competence. Conducting a survey with 300 fathers of children under the age of eight in the Republic of Korea, we aimed to determine the fathers’ characteristics, confirm the relationships between the parental factors and children’s social competence, and identify the impacts of these factors. Among other results, children’s social competence had a positive correlation with fathers’ participation in parenting and parental role satisfaction, but a negative correlation with parenting stress levels. Fathers’ parental role satisfaction had a particular effect on children’s interpersonal skills, understanding of social knowledge, and emotional control, while parenting stress had an especially important impact on the latter. Participation in parenting affected all these social competence sub-factors, as well as emotionality. Overall, we were able to confirm the importance of fathers’ participation for children to develop social competence. These research results can be employed as basic data to develop research and education programs related to fathers’ parenting.