Table 4.
Mediation Analyses of Paternity Leave-Taking and Father-child Relationship Quality using the KHB Method
| Father Involvement |
Father-Child Closeness |
Father-Child Communication |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variables | b | SE | p | Mediation Effect (%) |
b | SE | p | Mediation Effect (%) |
b | SE | p | Mediation Effect (%) |
| (a) One week of leave | ||||||||||||
| Total Effect | 0.33 | 0.15 | .028 | -- | 0.42 | 0.16 | .010 | -- | 0.05 | 0.06 | .422 | -- |
| Direct Effect | 0.26 | 0.15 | .088 | -- | 0.36 | 0.16 | .027 | -- | 0.01 | 0.06 | .832 | -- |
| Indirect Effect | 0.07 | 0.07 | .317 | 21.36% | 0.06 | 0.08 | .449 | 14.43% | 0.03 | 0.03 | .283 | 73.48% |
| Father Engagement | 0.02 | 0.03 | .503 | 5.51% | 0.02 | 0.04 | .501 | 5.80% | 0.01 | 0.01 | .502 | 16.07% |
| Co-parenting Support | −0.01 | 0.01 | .373 | −3.20% | −0.02 | 0.02 | .209 | −5.65% | −0.00 | 0.00 | .484 | −7.12% |
| Relationship Satisfaction | 0.04 | 0.03 | .098 | 13.56% | 0.05 | 0.03 | .100 | 10.93% | 0.02 | 0.01 | .085 | 42.81% |
| “Good Father” Identity | 0.02 | 0.02 | .274 | 5.49% | 0.01 | 0.01 | .318 | 3.35% | 0.01 | 0.01 | .246 | 21.72% |
| (b) 2 or more weeks of leave | ||||||||||||
| Total Effect | 0.47 | 0.19 | .012 | -- | 0.70 | 0.21 | .001 | -- | 0.15 | 0.07 | .031 | -- |
| Direct Effect | 0.32 | 0.19 | .094 | -- | 0.56 | 0.21 | .007 | -- | 0.08 | 0.07 | .236 | -- |
| Indirect Effect via: | 0.15 | 0.07 | .039 | 32.49% | 0.14 | 0.08 | .088 | 20.40% | 0.07 | 0.03 | .030 | 45.10% |
| Father Engagement | 0.06 | 0.04 | .098 | 13.26% | 0.08 | 0.05 | .089 | 11.80% | 0.02 | 0.01 | .092 | 16.11% |
| Co-parenting Support | −0.02 | 0.02 | .329 | −4.26% | −0.04 | 0.03 | .126 | −6.36% | −0.00 | 0.01 | .460 | −3.95% |
| Relationship Satisfaction | 0.08 | 0.04 | .032 | 17.32% | 0.08 | 0.04 | .034 | 11.79% | 0.04 | 0.02 | .021 | 22.77% |
| “Good Father” Identity | 0.03 | 0.02 | .189 | 6.17% | 0.02 | 0.02 | .246 | 3.19% | 0.02 | 0.01 | .152 | 10.17% |
Note. n = 1302. Ordered logistic regression is used to predict father involvement and father-child closeness; OLS regression is used to predict father-child communication. Each model controls for age (mother and father), race/ethnicity (mother and father), education (mother and father), income (mother and father), hours worked (mother and father), father occupation, parental relationship and resident status, father’s religious participation, number of other children, whether father established paternity at birth, father attitudes (positive father attitudes, traditional gender attitudes, and engaged father attitudes), child gender, child age, and mother’s self-reported health at birth. Models are weighted using IPTW.