Mothers’ and fathers’ involvement in home activities with their children: psychosocial factors and the role of parental self-efficacy

Parent involvement in play, learning, and everyday home activities is important for promoting children's cognitive and language development. The aims of the study were to (a) examine differences between mothers' and fathers' self-reported involvement with their children, (b) explore the relationship between child, parent and family factors, and parent involvement, where parental self-efficacy (PSE) mediates these associations, and (c) assess whether the nature of the relationships between child, parent and family factors, PSE, and parent involvement differed for mothers and fathers. Participants were 851 Australian mothers and 131 fathers of children aged 0–4 years. Few differences between mothers' and fathers' involvement were found after accounting for employment status. Path analysis revealed that the relationships between parent well-being, child temperament, and parent involvement were mediated by PSE for both mothers and fathers. Directions for future research and the practical implications of these findings for supporting mothers and fathers to strengthen their involvement in home activities with their children are discussed.