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The role of fathers in the Growing Up in Scotland Study

The role of fathers in the Growing Up in Scotland Study. Louise Marryat. Aims of the presentation. To provide a brief overview of GUS including: Research objectives Study design Study content Available data To give an insight into the sweep 2 ‘partner’ interview with resident partners

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The role of fathers in the Growing Up in Scotland Study

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  1. The role of fathers in the Growing Up in Scotland Study Louise Marryat

  2. Aims of the presentation • To provide a brief overview of GUS including: • Research objectives • Study design • Study content • Available data • To give an insight into the sweep 2 ‘partner’ interview with resident partners • To provide an outline of the scoping paper on following-up non-resident fathers

  3. Overview of GUS BC1/CC1/BC2

  4. Research objectives • To provide data and information • Characteristics, circumstances and experiences of children in Scotland aged between 0 and 5 • Longer-term outcomes across a range of key domains • Levels of awareness and use of key services • Nature and extent of informal sources of help, advice and support for parents • To document differences • Characteristics, circumstances and experiences of children from different backgrounds • Longer-term outcomes for children from different backgrounds • To identify key predictors • E.g. of adverse longer-term outcomes • With particular reference to the role of early years

  5. Study design (2): Ages and Stages

  6. Study design • National sample capable of analysis by urban/rural, deprived/non-deprived and other sub-groups of interest • Sample drawn from Child Benefit records • Two cohorts - at sweep 3: • Birth cohort: 4191 children aged 34.5 months • Child cohort: 2331 children aged 58.5 months • Face-to-face (CAPI) survey of parents annually until child reaches five (almost six) years of age then at selected stages of interest

  7. Sources of information

  8. How does/will GUS compare?

  9. Study content: Core topics of the main interview • Household composition and family demographics • Non-resident parents • Parental support • Parenting styles • Childcare • Child health and development • Activities • Education and employment • Income and benefits • Accommodation and transport

  10. Parental health and well-being Early experiences of pre-school Early experiences of primary school Pregnancy and birth Involvement of grandparents Material deprivation Food and nutrition Housing and neighbourhood Social networks and social capital Study content: Other topics covered in the interview

  11. Using GUS data • Data availability • Data deposited with UK Data Archive • Sweep 1 to 3 data currently available • Sweep 4 deposited summer 2010 • Documentation also available from study website • Data workshops • An ‘introduction to the data’ • Handouts and slides are available from the study website

  12. Recent developments • Competitive tender issued in Spring 2008 • Proposals for the continuation of the study from 2009 to 2013 • Contract awarded to ScotCen in September 2008 • Project will be undertaken in collaboration with • Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (University of Edinburgh) • MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit (University of Glasgow)

  13. Overview of proposed design • Agreed design entails four further annual waves of fieldwork: • 2009/10 – Existing birth cohort (age 4-5) • 2010/11 – Existing birth cohort (age 5-6) • 2011/12 – New birth cohort (age 0-1) • 2012/13 – Existing birth cohort (age 7-8) • Decisions on further follow-up of the child cohort have not yet been taken • At a minimum, data collection will involve face-to-face CAPI interview with child’s main carer • Likely to be supplemented by further cognitive assessments and continued anthropometric measurements

  14. The new birth cohort • First wave of data collection in 2011 • To be slightly larger than existing birth cohort – nearer 6000 than 5000 • Currently, sample design and fieldwork approach to match that of existing cohorts

  15. Where do resident fathers fit in?

  16. Respondents • Sweep 1 - actively looked to interview mothers • Following sweeps followed up same respondent • By sweep 4 (out of 6194 respondents across 2 cohorts) • 97.7% = natural mother • 1.8% = natural father • Very small remainder = adoptive parents or grandparents

  17. Proxy data • Collected/updated every sweep: • Household Grid data • Employment • Educational qualifications • When a new partner enters the household • Religion • Ethnicity

  18. Sources of information

  19. Sample size and response rates @ sweep 2: Partners’ interview

  20. The Partner’s Interview • Parenting • Transition to Pre-school (Child only) • Neighbourhood and community (Birth only) • Self-completion • Work, employment and income

  21. Key reasons for partner interview • Accurate factual information • Employment, education, etc. • Gauge different attitudes in the household • Parenting styles, child readiness for school

  22. Approaches to discipline

  23. Division of parenting responsibilities-BC1

  24. How has the data been used? • Sweep 2 overview report • No sign of policy use • Current PhD on ‘Collaboration within Households’ • Looking at ‘collaboration’ with regards to: • A common understanding of the child and their needs • Common aims for raising the child • Joint involvement in raising the child • Supportive relationship between the parents

  25. Should we collect future partner data? • Between the Birth cohort and Child cohort the appeared to be a difference in ‘closeness’ of parents in attitudes • Future data would: • Allow us to track changes • Is this an academic exercise? • Allow us to ‘dig deeper’ – attitudes and perceptions?

  26. Where do non-resident fathers fit in?

  27. Why has GUS not collected data from NRPs? • Study has received much criticism for not including non-resident fathers (NRPs) • 20-25% of each cohort has a non-resident father at each sweep • Data collected from resident mother on contact, maintenance, parent relationship, father involvement in decision making and on making arrangements • No data directly from NRP

  28. GUS Scoping paper • Number of problems identified • UK – no record of NRPs • RRs – 20-30% and heavily biased • Only those ‘in contact’ • Mothers as gatekeepers • Many refuse to give information (US PSID – 31%) • Likely to get those with better relationships with NRP • Co-operation of NRP themselves (lower than general population) • Concluded – qualitative follow-up would be of more value

  29. More information Website: www.growingupinscotland.org.uk E-mail: Louise.marryat@scotcen.org.uk

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