Handbook of the Psychology of Fatherhood

This handbook examines the psychology of fatherhood throughout the lifespan and across multiple contexts. It synthesizes the trajectory of research and theorization of fathering that has traditionally dominated fatherhood literature. The book explores fathering within the developmental stages of children, from infancy to adulthood. In addition, it addresses the health and well-being of fathers from the perinatal period onward, with a focus on isolation, loss, trauma, and mental and physical health. The book emphasizes positive fatherhood and masculinity, thereby offering new perspectives of fatherhood. It synthesizes cutting-edge research on the intersectionality of fathering and provides knowledge of fatherhood for diverse populations, including military, LGBTQ, and fathers on the margins. The handbook reviews clinical assessment as well as community-based prevention and intervention strategies for issues of fatherhood and examines directions for future public policy and on-the-ground work. It offers recommendations for promoting the health and well-being of fathers and their families from multiple perspectives.

Key areas of coverage include:

• Historical, multicultural, and future directions in the research of fatherhood.
• Fatherhood and child development, from infancy to emerging adulthood.
• Grandfathering and adult children.
• Fatherhood and men’s mental and physical health and well-being.
• Positive masculinity and fatherhood.

Sonia Molloy, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University in York, Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on men and masculinities within context from an intersectional theoretical perspective. Her work specifically examines the process of fathering for diverse populations of fathers of infants and young children. She has more than 20 years of experience working with at-risk families and children in parent education, early development education, and advocacy. She is a member of the National Council on Family Relations, National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the American Psychological Association.

Pierre Azzam, M.D., serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry (volunteer) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. His clinical practice has focused on consultation-liaison psychiatry, palliative care, and men’s mental health. His professional dissemination includes practical approaches to working with men to target mental health stigma, identify postnatal depressive and anxiety disorders, and enhance wellness outcomes. He serves as a Board Member-at-Large for the American Psychological Association’s Division 51 on the Psychology of Men and Masculinities.

Anthony Isacco, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania, Professor and Director of Training in the Graduate Psychology Programs at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA. His professional expertise is clinical practice with religious populations, the psychology of fatherhood, and the intersections of religion, spirituality, and masculinity. . He is the co-author of All In: Breaking Barriers to Discerning the Priesthood (Lambing Press, 2018) and Religion, Spirituality, & Masculinity: New Insights for Counselors (Routledge, 2019). He is a member of the American Psychological Association and Catholic Psychotherapy Association.