Family dynamics and father involvement: empirical analyzes and psychological assessment measure for professional practice

• Grant number: 20/04595-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: February 01, 2021
• End date: January 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Fundamentals and Assessments in Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Ana Paula Porto Noronha
• Grantee: Ligia de Santis
• Host Institution: Universidade São Francisco (USF). Campus Campinas. Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 21/11208-8 - Parental burnout in Brazil: assessment and intervention perspectives, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

There is still no consensus on the equivalence of parental involvement of fathers and mothers. However, the importance of father involvement is known, which makes its precise assessment necessary. Psychometrics characteristics of the Inventário de Envolvimento Paterno (IFI-BR) have already been verified in Brazil (adequate reliability and diverse validity evidence). However, psychometric analysis of the its items, as well as the normatization of their results, are still needed. Thus, the IFI-BR can be used to assess different characteristics of Brazilian family dynamics. Two hundred fathers and 70 mothers with children in early childhood education and primary school settings will answer to the IFI-BR, a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Escala de Desregulação Emocional, Escala da Relação Coparental, and the Inventário de Burnout Parental. Fathers' responses to the IFI-BR will be added to an existing database, with other 572 responses. IFI-BR items' difficulty parameters and parents' characteristics will be estimated through Rating Scale Model. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) can be used to estimate the invariance of these parameters between groups, and norms will be established for the use of the measure with fathers. Additionally, structural equation models will be used to assess the relationship between the quality of father and mother involvement and the other variables analyzed, considering possible moderate and mediating effects, and the control of sociodemographic variables. Finally, fathers' and mothers' answers about their parental involvement (IFI-BR) will be compared, to verify possible differences. Thereby, it is expected to promote an advance in the study of father involvement in Brazil, through necessary analyzes for the proper evaluation and interpretation of IFI-BR results, in addition to highlighting important information for understanding family dynamics.