Research and Validation
The Nurturing Father’s Program is an evidence-based, validated program. It is listed on national registries as an adaptation of The Nurturing Parenting Programs (go to www.nurturingvalidation.com), and it has it’s own independent research studies (see summaries below).
Nurturing Father’s Program
From Research and Validation Study 1
“Parental Attitudes and Behaviors of Participants in the Nurturing Father’s Program”
“Quality fathering programs do have a strong potential to increase the parental attitudes and behaviors of its participants. The Nurturing Father’s Programs, which were evaluated in this study, proved successful at increasing the parental attitudes and behaviors
of participants in all five constructs and overall score of the AAPI-2. It was evident that the Nurturing Father’s Program targeted key parental behaviors and beliefs, and the structure and content helped to evoke positive change in their participants. The program provided an effective model by which other programs may be patterned.”
“Results of the analyses conducted indicated that there were significant increases in all five of the AAPI-2 subscales (expectations, empathy, corporal punishment, role-reversal, power and independence) and in the overall AAPI-2 score (see Table 1). This suggested that participants in the Nurturing Father’s Program improved in their understanding of the developmental capabilities of children, improved in ability to demonstrate empathy toward the needs of children, improved in the reported use of alternate strategies to
corporal punishment, increased understanding and acceptance of the needs of self and children, and increased in the value placed on children feeling empowered. Additionally, the results suggested overall improvement in parental attitudes and behaviors that were
known to contribute to child abuse and neglect.”
Daire, A.P., Greenidge, W.L., & Johnson, N.M. (Manuscript under review). Parental attitudes and behaviors of participants in the Nurturing Father’s Program. Fathering.
The Nurturing Father’s Program
From Research and Validation Study 2
A Cross Cultural Investigation of the Nurturing Father’s Program Outcomes
“Overall, the findings of this study provide support for cross cultural use of the Nurturing Father’s Program, specifically with White, Hispanic, and African-American participants.”
“These results suggested that the Nurturing Father’s Program, a psychoeducational program for developing attitudes and skills for male nurturance, was effective in changing parental attitudes and behaviors for its participants as measured by the AAPI-2. This was of particular importance since responses to the AAPI-2 provided an index of risk in five specific parenting and child rearing behaviors known to contribute to child abuse and neglect (Bavolek & Keene, 2001). Additionally, Hispanic fathers appeared to get the most out of the program, particularly in appropriate expectations, empathy, and role reversal. A number of practice implications became evident. The Nurturing Father’s Program could be a valuable resource for Early Head Start Programs and other programs to assist individuals in bolstering their parenting skills and decrease risks of child maltreatment. Fagan & Iglesias (1999) found that African-American and Hispanic Early Head Start parents with greater parenting skills demonstrated more engagement in the program. Thus, the Nurturing Father’s Program also could augment services provided by Early Head Start Programs by increasing the fathers’ readiness to participate in these programs. Moreover, certain states with high Hispanic population, such as Florida, Texas, and California, should consider the Nurturing Father’s Program in local and statewide intervention programs for fathers, particularly because of the stronger outcomes for Hispanic participants. Additionally, grassroots organizations that serve different populations of fathers might find this an effective approach particularly because a higher
education degree was not needed for training to be a facilitator of this program.”
Daire, A.P., & Greenidge, W.L. (Manuscript under review). A cross cultural investigation of the Nurturing Father’s Program outcomes. Journal for Multicultural Counseling.