Profiles of Father Involvement Following Parental Separation

The aim of this study was to describe how fathers are involved as parents after parental separation. Most research on post-separation father involvement has focused on “nonresident” fathers, who have little to no child-custody time. However, fathers with shared and primary custody must also be considered to provide a more complete portrait of post-separation father involvement. A representative sample of 733 fathers in Quebec, Canada, with a child under 14 years of age and who separated between 2016 and 2018 completed an online questionnaire. Latent profile analyses of measures of fathers’ involvement post-separation in positive involvement activities, indirect care and decision-making relative to the other parent were performed. Four profiles were identified: recreational (19%), balanced (52%), take-charge (21%) and load-bearing (7%). Profiles differed in fathers’ overall level of involvement relative to the other parent and in their degree of involvement in each of the three dimensions measured. Compared to balanced-profile fathers, those in the recreational and load-bearing profiles had lower income and education level, lived farther away from the other parent and had a lower coparenting relationship quality. Recreational fathers were also more likely to be born in a developing country and load-bearing fathers more frequently reported that the other parent lived with a new partner. Although custody type (little-to-none, shared, or primary) was strongly associated with father involvement profiles, all types were represented in each profile. In conclusion, most fathers are far from uninvolved parents after separation. Custody time fails to fully and accurately capture their parental involvement.