Non-Resident Fathers’ Contributions to Social–Emotional Development in Early Years: A Scoping Review

In contemporary society, increasing rates of divorce and non-marital childbearing have resulted in more children growing up without a father residing in the same household. Research on non-resident fathers has disproportionately focused on child support compliance or visitation schedules, with limited attention to the important quality and dynamics of father-child relationships. This scoping review examines the literature to identify the factors and dynamics of interactions between non-resident fathers and their contributions to children’s (0–8) social-emotional development in early years. Overall, this review establishes limited research and a gap in understanding of the interactional dynamics between non-resident fathers and their children. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that the narrow focus on behavioural problems and non-resident fathers’ visitation frequency as a measure of children’s social-emotional development demands a more holistic lens that values children’s perspectives.