Evaluation of Brief Online Interventions to Increase Sense of Purpose for Fathers Living in the United States

This experimental study examined the effectiveness of two brief online interventions to increase fathers' sense of purpose. One hundred eighty-three men living in the United States, who had at least one child less than 3 years old, were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) psychoeducation (n = 61), (b) psychoeducation + purpose-reflection (n = 70), or (c) control (n = 52). Participants' fathers were between the ages of 20 and 49 (M = 33.83; SD = 6.66) and were mostly White (77.60%; Asian or Asian American, 8.74%; Black or African American, 8.20%; other race, 3.28%; American Indian or Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian, 1.09%; and biracial, 1.09%). Participants completed demographics information, the Primacy of Work and Power Over Women subscales of the Conformity to Masculinity Norms Inventory, and then, after random assignment to condition, the Meaningfulness, Goal-Oriented, and Beyond-the-Self subscales of the Claremont Purpose Scale. Results indicated that the purpose-reflection intervention significantly increased fathers scores on Meaningfulness and Beyond-the-Self subscales in comparison to the control condition; the psychoeducation intervention significantly increased fathers scores on goal-oriented in comparison to the control condition; and that participants' higher scores on power over women predicted less purpose as measured by the Goal-Oriented and Beyond-the-Self subscales. Implications, future research, and limitations are discussed. We also recommend that future research seek to better understand the bidirectional relationship between purpose and paternal involvement, how race and cultural contexts contribute, and the intersection of masculinity and caretaking as part of their roles as both parent and partner. Public Significance Statement In a society that historically views caretaking of children as the work of women, helping fathers become involved in their children's lives remains a popular topic in research, media, and community-level work. Results from this experimental study found that two brief, online psycho-educational interventions increased fathers' sense of purpose they feel as parents. Given the connection between purpose and positive behavior changes, we see this intervention as a practical way to potentially increase positive father involvement.