A meta-analysis of the relationship between father involvement and problem behaviour among preschool children

Abstract

The meta-analysis presented in this paper was conducted with the aim of clarifying the differences in the research on the relationship between father involvement and problem behaviour among preschool children, and also to analyze the reasons behind these research differences. By applying a literature retrieval and screening strategy, 41 studies were sourced, with a total of 269 independent samples and 22635 participants. The meta-analysis found a low negative correlation between positive father involvement and the externalizing problem behaviour of preschool children, and the same correlation between such involvement and internalizing problem behaviour. Negative father involvement was found to be moderately positively correlated with the latter behaviour. The moderating effects of each variable emerged as different, complex, and interactive. The implications of these findings are that families, kindergartens, communities and the government should work together to guarantee father involvement and improve the quality of the latter.