The Mediating Role of the Father-Child Relationship on the Link Between Fathers’ Involvement and Preschooler’s Social Competence

Despite the recognized importance of paternal involvement, little is known about the mechanisms through which it influences preschooler’s social competence, particularly in non-Western contexts like China. To explore the possible mediating mechanism of the father-child relationship between the father’s involvement and support and the social competence of preschool children, this study adopted the Parental Involvement and Support Scale, the Child-Parent Relationship Scale, and the Social Competence Scale, to survey 634 preschool children’s fathers in China. The results indicated that: (1) scores for father’s involvement and support, father-child relationship, and preschool children’s social competence were all fell within a moderate range, and there were significant differences across demographic profiles; (2) preschool children who received higher levels of paternal involvement and support showed better father-child relationship and social competence; (3) further structural equation modeling revealed the results: the relationship from father’s involvement and support to preschool children’s social competence was partially mediated by father-child relationship, which indicated that preschool children received higher levels of father’s involvement and support would develop better father-child relationship, and thus lead to the enhancement of their social competence. The findings of the present study suggest that fathers should be mobilized to participate in parenting and provide adequate father support for preschool children to improve the intimacy of the father-son relationship, mitigate father-child conflict, and enhance social adaptation and social interaction among children with low social competence.