Social Problems , Vol. 53, Issue 3, pp. 392–420, ISSN 0037-7791, electronic ISSN 1533-8533. © 2006 by Society for the Study of Social Problems, Inc. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photo- copy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions website, at http://www. ucpress.edu/journals/rights.htm. Fathers’ Risk Factors in Fragile Families: Implications for “Healthy” Relationships and Father Involvement MAUREEN R. WALLER, Cornell University RAYMOND SWISHER, Cornell University We use longitudinal survey and qualitative information from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine how risk factors such as physical abuse, problematic substance use, and incarceration among unmarried fathers in the study are related to fathers’ early involvement with their children. The survey results indicate that nearly half of fathers have at least one risk factor and that each risk is negatively associated with paternal involvement. The results also show that fathers with risk factors are less likely to have romantic rela- tionships with mothers and that relationships between parents mediate associations between risk factors and fathers’ involvement. Qualitative interviews with a sub-sample of mothers and fathers in the study illustrate the meaning of risks for parents and the processes through which early family outcomes occur. Parents’ accounts suggest that mothers often select out of relationships they deem “unhealthy” and monitor fathers’ access to chil- dren, particularly in cases of physical abuse. While some fathers with risks withdraw from children, others attempt to maintain their involvement independently or as part of a strategy with the mother to address these risks with varying success. We suggest that policies to promote marriage and responsible fatherhood be mindful that some fathers they are targeting have characteristics that may not be conducive to increased involvement while other fathers face personal and institutional barriers to involvement. Keywords: father involvement, frag- ile families, incarceration, domestic violence, marriage promotion. The President is determined to make committed, responsible fatherhood a national priority . . . [T]he presence of two committed, involved parents contributes directly to better school performance, reduced substance abuse, less crime and delinquency, fewer emotional and other behavioral prob- lems, less risk of abuse or neglect, and lower risk of teen suicide. The research is clear: Fathers factor significantly in the lives of their children. There is simply no substitute for the love, involvement, and commitment of a responsible father (Executive Office of the President 2001). Drawing on social science research that suggests children from single parent families face disadvantages as adults, policymakers have presented paternal absence as a public problem, or an issue with public status and for which action is required (Gusfield 1984). In light of this concern, recent policies and programs have been aimed at encouraging the involvement of fathers with their biological children. “Responsible fatherhood” initiatives targeted primarily at low-income, unmarried fathers have received bi-partisan support in Congress and from The authors wish to thank the Public Policy Institute of California for generous support of qualitative data collection. The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study is funded by the NICHD and a consortium of agencies and foundations. The authors also thank Rachel Dunifon and Andrea Parrot for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article and Amanda Bailey for research assistance. Previous versions of this article were presented at the 2005 annual meetings of the Association of Policy Analysis and Management in Washington, DC and the American Sociological Association in Philadel- phia, and at the NICHD Family and Child Wellbeing Research Network Meeting in Washington, DC, June 19–20, 2003. Direct correspondence to: Maureen Waller, Department of Policy Analysis and Management, 257 MVR Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. E-mail: mrw37@cornell.edu. by guest on October 10, 2016 http://socpro.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from