Enhancing fathers’ engagement in parenting programs: identifying preferred program attributes

ABSTRACT Objective Despite parenting programs providing benefits to parents and children, fathers enrol five times less often than mothers and dropout at higher rates. To better understand how to encourage father engagement, this study asked 55 Australian fathers about their preferences regarding six attributes of parenting programs: content; delivery method; participants; facilitator gender; program duration; and cost. Method Participants were asked to complete an online experiment indicating the best and worst options presented within each attribute (e.g., comparing a parenting program delivered face-to-face, through zoom, online, via an app, or SMS-based). Results Fathers showed a strong preference for a program that included child-focused activities rather than parenting-partner-focused activities. Delivering the program via SMS was the least preferred delivery method, but there were no strong preferences around who participated in the program or the facilitator gender. There was a strong preference for a one- to two-month duration and a no, or low-cost program. Conclusions These findings provide the first step towards developing father-focused parenting programs containing attributes that encourage father engagement. Key Points What is already known about this topic: (1) Childhood mental health problems are at alarming levels in Australia with around 1 in 8 children experiencing externalising or internalising behaviour problems. (2) Parenting programs are an effective method of addressing childhood behaviour problems. (3) Fathers enrol in parenting programs 5 times less often and have higher dropout rates than mothers. What this paper adds: (1) Fathers have a strong preference for parenting programs that focus on activities to do with their child, that run for 4-8 weeks, and are free or low-cost. (2) Fathers do not have strong preferences around who they complete a parenting program with, or who facilitates the program. (3) These findings provide the first step towards developing father-focused parenting programs.