Staying engaged: Obstacles and facilitators in maintaining a paternal role after separation or divorce
Recent studies have shown that, a few years after separation or divorce, a significant number of fathers are often absent or minimally involved in their child's life and education. Because of this social problem, researchers in the social sciences have tried to understand this phenomenon better and to identify the variables associated with paternal engagement or its lack. Given that an increasing number of studies have dealt with this issue in recent years, we propose to synthesize the material to date and to identify the specific variables which help to keep the father involved in his child's development. The variables most frequently documented are: the degree of engagement and attachment the father felt towards his child prior to the divorce; his ability to adapt psychologically after the divorce; his income; the saliency of his paternal role; the availability of social support; circumstances relating to child custody and the quality of the relationships between former spouses. Methodological concerns will be discussed and directions for future research will be proposed.