Profiles of Father Involvement among Unmarried Black Fathers and Child Social-Emotional Functioning.

This study examined patterns of father involvement among 2,040 unmarried non-Hispanic Black fathers (M = 25.27 years; SD = 6.51 years) with low income, and their associations with young children's (age 3 years; 50.34% girls) social-emotional functioning. Latent profile analysis revealed four father involvement profiles: high involvement (50.60%); non-resident, moderate involvement (18.09%); highly engaged, but low cognitive stimulation (25.49%); and non-resident, very low involvement (3.82%). Children of highly involved Black fathers exhibited optimal social-emotional functioning compared to children of fathers in the other profiles. Children of fathers in the highly engaged, but low cognitive stimulation profile showed poorer social-emotional functioning. Our findings showed that Black fathering is a diverse experience with much heterogeneity, suggesting the need for fatherhood programs responsive to different fathering profiles.