Latino Resident Fathers' Early Involvement With Infants

Despite the growing number of Latino families in the United States (Passel et al., 2011), Latino fathers are an understudied segment of the population. We examined a subsample of Latino residential fathers (n = 859) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Measures of fathers' generational status and fathering beliefs, including adherence to traditional gender roles and fathering identity salience, were collected at child's birth; father involvement was collected at infant age 1 year. We tested longitudinal mediations between fathers' generational status, fathering beliefs, and involvement using structural equation modeling. Fathers' generational status impacted the amount of time fathers spend with their children in tasks relating to direct caregiving, but not necessarily cognitive engagement. Findings highlight the importance of considering cultural context in early Latino father involvement. Public Significance Statement We continue to learn much about how and when fathers engage with their children. Here, we identify links between cultural identity, beliefs, and fathering in a sample of Latino fathers. Results provide important information regarding parental involvement with potential long-term implications on child well-being.