Fathering relationships and their associations with juvenile delinquency

This study explores the intergenerational transmission of fathering by addressing the associations between men's relationship with their father, their attachment to their children, self-assessment of themselves as fathers, and antisocial behavior. Subjects for this study were 87 men who were identified as fathers or father figures by women involved in two Early Head Start sites in Denver, Colorado. They were interviewed about their experiences when their child was between 2 and 3 years of age. The study found men who reported high antisocial behavior during their youth reported low assessment of themselves as fathers whereas men who reported a positive relationship with their fathers reported high assessments of themselves as fathers.