Intergenerational transmission and transition to fatherhood: a mediated-moderation model of paternal engagement.

The aim of this longitudinal study on determinants of parenting was to test a mediated-moderation model of fathers' postnatal engagement with their children in the context of the transition to fatherhood. More precisely, the model postulated that men's marital status (marriage vs. cohabitation) moderated the relation between one characteristic of the family of origin, maternal physical affection, and their level of postnatal engagement and that this interaction effect was mediated by men's involvement during pregnancy. A sample of 158 Canadian men participated in the study during the third trimester of pregnancy and at 6 months postpartum. As expected, results revealed that cohabiting fathers, as compared to married fathers, showed lower levels of postnatal engagement with their newborns when they had received less physical affection from their mothers during their childhood and adolescence. This result was explained by the fact that these men were less involved as future fathers during their partner's pregnancy. Results are discussed in terms of multiplicative effects of risk factors and in terms of intergenerational continuity in parenting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).