doi: 10.18178/ijssh.2025.15.1.1237
Father Involvement and Children's Developmental Outcomes: A Systematic Review of the Literature on Chinese Population over the Past 20 Years
Xizi Wang
1,*
,
Cheng Chi
2
- 1 Psychology and Human Development, Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
- 2 School of Psychology and Sport Science, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
- Manuscript received December 7, 2023
- revised February 22, 2024
- accepted June 5, 2024
- published February 21, 2025
Abstract
In the Chinese context, fathers historically held distant, disciplinary roles in the family. This systematic review examines the influence of Chinese father involvement on the developmental outcomes of pre-puberty children over the past two decades, considering contemporary societal shifts in paternal roles. A comprehensive search of databases including PsycINFO, PubMed, and CNKI was conducted using relevant keywords, resulting in finding a total of 1314 papers. Following the first screening, 158 manuscripts were appraised for eligibility, and 55 articles were included in the analysis subsequently. Active father involvement yielded positive outcomes in behavior, socio-emotional, cognitive, and psychological domains, enhancing social skills, emotional well-being, and cognitive abilities. However, some studies reported negative or inconclusive results due to methodological and cultural differences, necessitating further research. The review also highlights the importance of nurturing positive paternal involvement for child and family well-being in the changing Chinese landscape, emphasizing the need to understand the nuances of fatherhood in this context for policy and interventions.
Keywords
- father involvement
- child development
- paternal role
- family study
- parenting
How to Cite
Xizi Wang and Cheng Chi, "Father Involvement and Children's Developmental Outcomes: A Systematic Review of the Literature on Chinese Population over the Past 20 Years," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 27-36, 2025. https://doi.org/ 10.18178/ijssh.2025.15.1.1237
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).