A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of the TYRO Dads Program

• Published date: 01 February 2023
• Author: Young‐Il Kim,Sung Joon Jang
• Date: 01 February 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12641

RESEARCH

A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of

the TYRO Dads Program

Young-Il Kim

1

|Sung Joon Jang

2

1

College of Social Work, George Fox

University, Newberg, Oregon, United States

2

Program on Prosocial Behavior, Institute for

Studies of Religion, Baylor University, Waco,

Texas, United States

Correspondence

Young-Il Kim, College of Social Work,

George Fox University, 414 N. Meridian St.

#6127, Newberg, OR 97132.

Email: ykim@georgefox.edu

Funding information

This study was funded by the Fatherhood

Research & Practice Network (FRPN). The

FRPN is supported by Grant Number

90PR0006 from the Office of Planning,

Research and Evaluation, Administration for

Children and Families, U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services. The study was

also supported in part by the George Fox

University Grant GFU2018-19L04.

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether fathers who attend TYRO

Dads class report greater satisfaction in their relationship

with their child and increased engagement in activities with

their child than nonparticipants and, if so, whether parent-

ing efficacy, parenting role identity, and coparenting rela-

tionship with the child’s mother account for differences in

father involvement between the intervention and control

groups.

Background: Despite the growing number of fatherhood

intervention programs, limited experimental research has

been conducted to evaluate their effectiveness.

Method: A randomized controlled trial was conducted

with a sample of 252 fathers randomly assigned to inter-

vention and control groups. Both groups completed a pre-

test survey and were followed up at the end of intervention

(posttest) and 3 months after the intervention (follow-up).

Latent growth curve models were used to estimate both

intervention and dosage effects.

Results: The intervention group fathers reported signifi-

cant improvement over time in the level of satisfaction of

the relationship with their child. This finding may be

partly because program participants became more confi-

dent in their parenting role, had their parenting role iden-

tity enhanced, or felt better about their relationship with

their child’s mother. These results were more pronounced

among those who attended eight out of 10 sessions.

Conclusion: In this study, the TYRO Dads program was

an effective intervention helping low-income fathers boost

their confidence as a father and enhancing fathers’percep-

tion of their relationship with the child’s mother.

Implications: Responsible fatherhood programs should

make an intentional effort to incentivize participation to

increase attendance and the likelihood of completing the

program.

Received: 26 June 2018Revised: 12 May 2021Accepted: 16 May 2021

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12641

© 2022 National Council on Family Relations.

Family Relations. 2023;72:271–293. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare 271

KEYWORDS

coparenting, fatherhood, parenting efficacy, parenting role identity,

TYRO Dads

A consensus about the importance of fathers’caregiving role has been growing over the past

three decades (LaRossa, 1988; Schoppe-Sullivan & Fagan, 2020). Low-income fathers, how-

ever, face significant barriers to meeting the caregiving needs of their children, let alone fulfill-

ing the role of financial provider. Too many low-income fathers may struggle with stable

housing (Western & Smith, 2018), live in multiple households with multiple partners and chil-

dren (Edin & Nelson, 2013; Guzzo, 2014), and have had experiences with the criminal justice

system (Adams, 2018), all of which are detrimental to effective parenting. As a result, low-

income fathers tend to lack commitment to both their paternal identity and confidence in their

parenting skills. These fathers can also experience difficulty in working together with the

mother of the child, which has been identified as one of the strongest barriers to fathers’

involvement in parenting (Carlson et al., 2011). Despite such obstacles, however, many of these

fathers desire to support their children financially and emotionally (Randles, 2020).

Because of the important consequences for children’s well-being, addressing the needs of

low-income fathers is crucial (McLanahan et al., 2013). For this reason, the federal government

has funded several community-based fatherhood programs as part of the implementation of the

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Berger &

Carlson, 2020). In the newest round of grants, Administration for Children and Families

(ACF; 2015) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded 91 organiza-

tions in 27 states to provide activities to help low-income fathers strengthen their relationships

with their child and the mother of the child. Although myriad fatherhood programs, including

those funded by the ACF, have existed since the implementation of the act, a fundamental ques-

tion has been neglected: Do fathers improve their relationships with their children and the

mothers of their children as a consequence of the fatherhood program? Answering this causal

question requires an experimental design in which participants are randomly assigned to either

an intervention or control group. Previous research, however, was mostly conducted without a

control group, or, when a control group was included in research design, assignment to groups

was not completed by a random assignment procedure, leaving the true effect of the interven-

tion uncertain (Osborne et al., 2014).

Attempts to address these concerns have recently led to several large-scale randomized con-

trolled trial (RCT) studies (Avellar et al., 2018; Hayward et al., 2019; Sarfo, 2018). A recent

meta-analysis, which reviewed some of those studies, reported small but statistically significant

positive effects for father involvement, parenting, and coparenting (Holmes et al., 2020). For

example, one study, which evaluated four fatherhood programs in the Midwest, reported a

greater increase in nurturing behavior and involvement in child activities (Avellar et al., 2018).

Another study evaluated a Baltimore fatherhood program and found that intervention group

fathers showed greater involvement in their children’s lives than those in the control group

(Sarfo, 2018).

The present study extends the current fatherhood RCT literature in two ways. First, we

not only examine intervention effects but also seek to identify the underlying mechanisms

responsible for the effects using several mediating factors: parenting efficacy, parenting role

identity, and father–mother coparenting relationship quality. To our knowledge, no RCT

study has identified mediating mechanisms that explain the difference in parenting outcomes

between intervention and control groups. Second, we use a three-wave panel design to track

changes in the outcomes of interest over a 4-month period of study. Again, this is the first

RCT study in this field showing the trajectory of outcome variables using growth curve

modeling.

272 FAMILY RELATIONS