Measuring father involvement within low-income families: Who is a reliable and valid reporter?

Objective. This study assesses and compares the internal reliability and predictive validity of fathers' versus mothers' reports of father involvement. Design. Two hundred and twenty-seven fathers and mothers reported separately on 6 identical items regarding father involvement with a designated focal child. Mothers reported on their own parenting and child demographic characteristics. Direct assessments assessed child cognitive skills. Results. Reliable composites of father involvement were similar across father versus mother reports and across resident versus nonresident and African American versus Latin American fathers. Father reports and a combined reporter composite predicted children's reading and math skills; mother reports showed significant relations to only to children's math skills. Conclusions. Simple surveys that include either father or mother reports of father involvement can be used to create reliable father involvement measures. Father reports of father involvement showed more consistent predictive validity than mother reports of father involvement. Further measurement development and assessment are needed for more comprehensive measures of fathers' involvement and contributions to children's well-being.