Grandfathers, Fathers, and Sons: Role of Intergenerational Relations on Parent Attitudes and Engagement of Mexican Origin Fathers

Abstract

Parenting is influenced by family relationships, however, very little research has investigated how the relationships fathers have with their own fathers shape fathers’ parenting attitudes and engagement. Intergenerational relationships are particularly relevant among families with strong intergenerational solidarity and interdependence, such as Mexican-origin families. The results based on data from 85 Mexican-origin fathers show more positive parenting attitudes and engagement among fathers reporting high-quality relationships with their fathers at the time of the study, but these associations were only found among fathers with sons. The findings highlight the importance of considering intergenerational pathways to strengthen father-child relationships.