Jay Fagan

Biographic Data

ID76590
NAMEJay Fagan
GIVEN NAMESJay
FAMILY NAMEFagan
SIGNATUREFAGAN J
AFFILIATIONSTemple University
ORCID0000-0002-0042-3981
VERIFIEDYes
TOTAL WORKS53
TOTAL CITATIONS421
AUTHOR COUNT52
EDITOR COUNT1
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR1993
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2025
H-INDEX10

  • Paternal Self-Efficacy Scale for Nonresident Fathers: Scale Development and Validation

    Open AccessMark H Trahan, Aaron Banman et al.ARTICLEFamilies in Society The Journal…2025

    Previous research points to the importance of parenting self-efficacy in facilitating father engagement, thereby promoting optimal developmental outcomes in children. Nonresident fathers’ engagement differs from resident fathers, resulting in a need for a novel measure of paternal self-efficacy (PSE). This article presents two studies: Study 1—the development of a measure of nonresident PSE and Study 2—the validation of this measure with low-inco…

  • Children's Contact With Fathers Who Never Co-Resided With Them and Father-Child Relationship Quality at age 9

    Open AccessJay FaganARTICLEJournal of Family Issues2024Cited by: 1References: 38

    Using a sample of 868 unmarried fathers who did not live with their children from birth to age 9, this study focused on the association between patterns of father-child contact during infancy and early and middle childhood and children's perceptions of their relationship with the father at age 9. Children perceived significantly better quality relationships with fathers at age 9 when they had regular contact with fathers during infancy and early …

  • The Myth of Low-Income Black Fathers' Absence From the Lives of Adolescents

    Open AccessJay FaganARTICLEJournal of Family Issues2024Cited by: 4References: 24

    Low-income Black fathers have been portrayed in the media and in research as uninvolved and disengaged from their children. The current study uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study ( N = 2578) to examine adolescents' reports of relationships and interaction with their biological fathers. The results showed there were no significant differences among Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and Other fathers for adolescents' per…

  • Trajectories of low‐income mothers’ and fathers’ engagement in learning activities and child socioemotional skills in middle childhood

    Open AccessJay Fagan, Natasha CabreraARTICLESocial Development2022References: 12

    Using Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data ( N = 3259), the current study examined Black and Latinx mothers’ and fathers’ trajectories of engagement in learning activities (e.g., storytelling) from infancy to age 5, and whether those trajectories predicted socioemotional skills at age 9, predictors of the trajectories (poverty, mother‐father nonresidence, temperament, race/ethnicity), and moderators of the trajectories. Mothers’ and fathers’…

  • Predictors of mothers' participation in a mother‐only coparenting intervention conducted in fatherhood programs

    Open AccessJay Fagan, Jessica PearsonARTICLEJournal of Community Psychology2022References: 25

    While fatherhood programs are increasingly implementing coparenting classes for mothers, very little is known about the circumstances that could increase or inhibit a mother's participation in joining such a class. The current study uses ecological systems theory to explore the microsystems, mesosystems, and macrosystems that relate to mothers' participation in a coparenting class. Pretest data from 277 fathers attending fatherhood programs are u…

  • Explaining the long reach of prenatal behaviors and attitudes in unmarried men at birth on father engagement in early and middle childhood and adolescence

    Open AccessJay Fagan, Natasha Cabrera et al.ARTICLEDevelopmental Psychology2022Cited by: 1References: 1

    The current study examined three research questions: (a) Are unmarried at birth fathers' prenatal and birth-related behavioral, attitudinal, and identity adjustments directly related to father engagement in child-related activities during early childhood and father-child closeness in middle childhood and adolescence? (b) Do father engagement in child-related activities during early childhood, coresidence, and coparenting at age 5 mediate the asso…

  • A test of the process model for predicting parenting satisfaction and self-efficacy of low- income nonresidential fathers

    Open AccessJay Fagan, Ruth Kaufman et al.ARTICLEJournal of Social and Personal…2022Cited by: 1References: 58

    This study tested Belsky's (1984) process model of parenting to examine predictors of self-reported parenting satisfaction and self-efficacy among a sample of low-income, nonresidential fathers attending fatherhood programs ( n = 222 fathers) and a sample of men who were not in fatherhood programs but reside in high poverty neighborhoods ( n = 336 fathers). The process model included father involvement with children as a predictor of satisfaction…

  • Longitudinal Associations Between Early Risk, Father Engagement, and Coparenting and Low-Income Fathers' Engagement With Children in Middle Childhood

    Open AccessJay FaganARTICLEJournal of Family Issues2022Cited by: 2References: 47

    The current investigation examined the longitudinal associations among low-income, urban fathers' risk factors, engagement with children, and coparenting support during early childhood and paternal engagement with children at age 9 years. Using Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data ( N = 2104), the results showed that additive individual and family risk when children were infants and preschool-age negatively predicted father engagement at age…

  • New Research on Parenting Programs for Low-Income Fathers

    Jessica Pearson, Jay FaganBOOKNew Research on Parenting…2021

  • Low-income mothers’ participation in the Understanding Dads TM intervention and changes in self-reported coparenting

    Jay Fagan, Abbie Henson et al.ARTICLEJournal of Family Social Work2021

    This study presents findings of a mother-only coparenting intervention conducted in conjunction with fathers’ participation in a fatherhood program. Specifically, this study sets out to determine whether there is an association between mothers’ participation (N = 127) in the group-based intervention, Understanding DadsTM, and changes in mothers’ reports of the coparenting relationship and mothers’ coparenting attitudes. The findings of this one g…

  • Ethnic and diverse fathering: Moving research forward

    Open AccessSusan S Chuang, Jay FaganARTICLEJournal of Family Theory & Review2021References: 3

    Fathering in the 21st century has gained significant prominence among scholars who have acknowledged the relevance of fathers in families. However, our understanding of diverse fathering in various contexts such as immigrant and ethnic minority contexts, “nontraditional” fathers (e.g., foster fathers), has significantly lagged . Thus, this collection of articles, Contextualizing Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives on Ethnic Minority and D…

  • What Nonresident Mothers and Fathers Have to Say About a Mother-Only Coparenting Intervention: A Qualitative Assessment of Understanding Dads TM

    Open AccessJessica Pearson, Abigail Henson et al.ARTICLEFamilies in Society The Journal…2020

    Coparenting between mothers and nonresident fathers is a consistent predictor of positive father involvement and is shown to have a direct positive impact on children’s behavioral outcomes. While many fatherhood programs attempt to improve coparenting relationships using father-only interventions, the information on their effectiveness is mixed. Couple interventions may be more effective than father-only approaches but are very hard to achieve wi…

  • Cognitive Stimulation at Home and in Child Care and Children’s Preacademic Skills in Two-Parent Families

    Open AccessNatasha Cabrera, Ui Jeong Moon et al.ARTICLEChild Development2020

    This paper used the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (N = 1,258) to examine the influence of hilevels of cognitive stimulation from mothers, fathers, and childcare providers at 24 months and children’s pre-academic skills at 48 and 60 months in two parent families. Results from path analysis showed direct positive effects of fathers’ early cognitive stimulation on early reading and math skills at 48 and 60 months. There were also t…

  • Associations between low-income nonresident fathers’ parenting identity and involvement with children

    Jay FaganARTICLEPsychology of Men & Masculinity2020Cited by: 6

  • The Evolution of Fathering Research in the 21st Century: Persistent Challenges, New Directions

    Open AccessSarah J Schoppe‐sullivan, Jay FaganARTICLEJournal of Marriage and the Family2020Cited by: 56References: 149

    Since the last decade review of the fathering literature in 2000, scholars across numerous disciplines such as demography, family studies, medicine, nursing, law, psychology, social work, and sociology have continued to produce a steady stream of work on fathering and father-child relationships. This literature is reviewed selectively with a focus on key developments, persistent challenges, and critical directions for future research. Significant…

  • Advancing Research and Measurement on Fathering and Children’s Development

    Open AccessBrenda L Volling, Natasha J Cabrera et al.ARTICLEMonographs of the Society for…2019

    Fathers are more than social accidents. Research has demonstrated that fathers matter to children’s development. Despite noted progress, challenges remain on how best to conceptualize and assess fathering and father–child relationships. The current monograph is the result of an SRCD-sponsored meeting of fatherhood scholars brought together to discuss these challenges and make recommendations for best practices for incorporating fathers in studies…

  • Family Structure Change Among Latinos: Variation by Ecologic Risk

    Open AccessNatasha Cabrera, Elizabeth Karberg et al.ARTICLEJournal of Family Issues2019Cited by: 1References: 52

    We examined differences in family structure change in an urban sample of mothers ( N = 1,314) from their child’s birth to age 5 and whether ecological risk moderated this association. We found that compared with U.S.-born Latino mothers, foreign-born Latino mothers were 62% less likely to break up and 75% less likely to repartner than remain stably resident. Across nativity status, Latina mothers with fewer children, more economic stress, less in…

  • Shalom bayit —Peace of the Home: Ritual and Tradition in American Jewish Families

    Harold H Kelley, Heather H Kelley et al.ARTICLEMarriage & Family Review2018Cited by: 2References: 9

    Utilizing a sample of 30 regionally diverse families (N = 75 individuals) belonging to various branches of Judaism, we qualitatively explored how Judaism enhanced and facilitated participants’ general life strengths and relational strengths (i.e., marriage and parenting). Based on our findings, Jewish rituals, traditions, and observances had a positive influence on participants’ personal lives and family relationships. A sense of duty and respons…

  • Decision-Making Responsibility: Development and Initial Validation of a New Measure for Low-Income, Nonresident Fathers

    Open AccessJay Fagan, Justin Dyer et al.ARTICLEJournal of Family Issues2018Cited by: 3References: 26

    Most measures of father involvement with children have been developed for use with middle-class fathers who reside with their children. The current study documents the development and initial validation of a new measure of decision-making responsibility for low-income fathers with a nonresident child. Focus groups conducted with 71 fathers revealed two dimensions of decision-making responsibility: making decisions with respect to direct care of t…

  • Nonresidential fathers with children in foster care: A descriptive study in the United States

    Open AccessYookyong Lee, Jay Fagan et al.ARTICLEChild & Family Social Work2017References: 4

    This study used the data from 64 nonresidential fathers who had their children placed in foster care to describe their characteristics. The survey included questions about demographic background and personal challenges, the father's involvement with his child in foster care, the father's relationship with the mother, barriers to the father's involvement, and the relationship with child welfare agencies and workers. The average age of the particip…

  • Income and Cognitive Stimulation as Moderators of the Association Between Family Structure and Preschoolers' Emerging Literacy and Math

    Open AccessJay FaganARTICLEJournal of Family Issues2017References: 50

    This study examined household income and maternal cognitive stimulation as moderators of the association between family structure and 48-month-old child emerging literacy and math skills. The data set was the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth cohort ( N = 7,300). Controlling for selection factors (race/ethnicity, child gender, maternal education, maternal depression, child attendance in preschool/day care, and 9-month child cognition), the…

  • Maternal Gatekeeping: The Associations Among Facilitation, Encouragement, and Low-Income Fathers’ Engagement With Young Children

    Open AccessJay Fagan, Mollie ChersonARTICLEJournal of Family Issues2017Cited by: 9References: 29

    Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study ( N = 3,605), the present study examined two aspects of maternal gatekeeping in relation to low-income predominantly nonresidential fathers' engagement with young children: facilitation and encouragement. The results showed that maternal encouragement when children were 3 years old was positively and longitudinally related to higher levels of paternal engagement with 5 year old childr…

  • A Review of How Researchers Have Used Theory to Address Research Questions About Fathers in Three Large Data Sets

    Open AccessJay FaganARTICLEJournal of Family Theory & Review2014

    The present article examines how the 3 national data sets in the Developing a Daddy Survey project studies have been used to address research questions regarding fathers based on various theories and theoretical frameworks. The data sets include Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey—Birth Cohort, and the Early Head Start Fathers' Study. The theoretically based studies that have been conducted using these …

  • Should Researchers Conceptualize Differently the Dimensions of Parenting for Fathers and Mothers

    Open AccessJay Fagan, Randal D Day et al.ARTICLEJournal of Family Theory & Review2014Cited by: 35References: 23

    This article asks whether researchers should seek separate conceptualizations of fathers' and mothers' parenting behaviors. We posit that there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that the constructs of fathering and mothering are unique. Our argument is based on 3 sets of findings. First, there have been a number of studies showing that fathering and mothering constructs are the same. Second, there is evidence that fathers' parenting behavior…

  • Father's involvement in the lives of children in foster care

    Open AccessLarry D Icard, Jay Fagan et al.ARTICLEChild & Family Social Work2014Cited by: 5References: 2

    Limited understandings exist about non‐resident fathers' views of their involvement with their children in foster care placements. Guided by the ecological systems framework, the purpose of this exploratory study was to gain insights into fathers' perceptions of their involvement with a child in foster care. Data were collected from demographic questionnaires and two focus groups with 17 men. Fathers expressed how kinship compared with non‐kinshi…