The long-reach of nonresident fathers’ financial support on children’s skills in fragile families : Parental investments, family processes, and children’s language skills

Using a sample of 692 children in mother-headed families drawn from the FFCWS, we examined the direct and indirect associations between nonresident fathers’ financial support during early childhood and children’s cognitive, behavioral, and achievement outcomes at ages 5 and 9 through parental investments, family processes, and children’s skills at age 3. We found significant direct effects of fathers’ financial support: measured continuously on children’s math and reading scores at age 9 and above the median on reading achievement at age 9. Financial support well-above the median was also significantly associated with math achievement at age 9 and both aggressive behavior and receptive vocabulary at age 5. Children’s language skills mediated the associations between financial support, measured continuously and provided through a formal order/agreement and math and reading achievement at age 9 and the association between financial support above the median and reading achievement at age 9. Most associations were small.