# A Qualitative Study of U.S. Latino Fathers’ Perceptions of Parenting Motivations

## TL;DR

This study explores what motivates Latino fathers in the U.S. to be involved parents and finds differences between U.S.-born and immigrant fathers.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the parenting motivations of socioeconomically diverse Latino fathers, highlighting differences by nativity status.

## Key findings

- Five main themes of parenting motivations were identified, including personal rearing history and sense of duty.
- Immigrant fathers emphasized morals and values, while U.S.-born fathers focused on their child's future success.
- The findings can help improve parenting programs for Latino families.

## Abstract

Though ample research and theory suggest that parents’ beliefs and cognitions are important predictors of their parenting behaviors, there is little understanding of Latino fathers’ perceived parenting motivations. We explored resident, first-time fathers’ motivations to be involved parents in a sample (N = 85) of socioeconomically diverse Latino fathers participating in a parenting intervention in the Washington D.C. area and southern California. Data were collected through structured interviews that were recorded during home visits when infants were 18-months old. Bilingual research assistants transcribed and translated into English fathers’ responses to the interview question, “What makes you want to be a good parent?” A thematic analysis revealed five main emergent themes: (1) personal rearing history, (2) desire to rear a well-adjusted child, (3) relationship with their child, (4) intrinsic motivations, and (5) sense of duty and responsibility. We further explored whether fathers’ perceived parenting motivations varied by their nativity status (i.e., U.S.-born or immigrant). We found variations in each of the themes, including that immigrant Latino fathers were more likely to prioritize their children’s morals and values, whereas U.S.-born Latino fathers emphasized their child’s future success. This study contributes to the limited research on Latino fathers’ parenting perceptions and beliefs. The findings can be used to inform programs geared at strengthening Latine family functioning in the face of adversity through leveraging the reasons behind why fathers want to be positively involved with their young children.

This study used thematic analysis to explore the perceived parenting motivations of 85 first-time Latino fathers living in the U.S.

We also explored variation in fathers’ parenting motivations by their nativity status (i.e., U.S.-born vs. immigrant).

We identified five main themes, and various subthemes, in fathers’ perceived motivations, as well as differences by nativity status.

The findings may inform parenting interventions, given the influence of fathers’ motivations on parenting behaviors.