Fathering Adolescents and Emerging Adults

Adolescence and emerging adulthood are unique life stages marked by physiological, psychological, and social change. These critical phases are also associated with numerous trajectories into adulthood. Research on how fathers are engaged with fathers in these two life stages is limited, but it points to the unique aspects of parenting older children. Using an ecological perspective, we discuss father involvement with children aged 10–29 in this chapter. Our discussion and analysis of original data center on the father–child relationship, measures of father involvement with older children, predictors of father involvement, and diversity in involvement across paternal characteristics. We also consider how father involvement is tied to adolescent and emerging adult outcomes. Implications for practitioners, programs, clinicians, and researchers are discussed.