COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Parents who share pre-school child-care duties such as preparing meals for children may increase parental conflicts, U.S. researchers say.
Study co-author Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan of Ohio State University says couples who share caregiving for small children by having the father play with the child and the mother prepare meals and give baths may have stronger relationships, than if parents share playtime and other caregiving tasks.
These were the surprising findings and Schoppe-Sullivan admits the results may be disappointing for those who believe both parents should share caregiving duties equally.
However, sharing caregiving tasks equally may not be only one way to parent, Schoppe-Sullivan says.
"I don't think this means that for every family, a father being involved in caregiving is a bad thing. But it is not the recipe for all couples," Schoppe-Sullivan says in a statement. "You can certainly have a solid co-parenting relationship without sharing caregiving responsibilities equally."
Schoppe-Sullivan and graduate student Rongfang Jia tested the father's involvement in child care in 112 Midwestern couples with a 4-year-old child. Fathers and mothers both filled out questionnaires.
The researchers observed how parents either supported or undermined one another or while their child completed a both a drawing and a building task requiring parental guidance.
The study is published in Developmental Psychology.
