Clinical Report: Father Involvement and Child Development in Lebanon

Overview

In a cross-sectional analysis of 1,181 children aged 0–59 months in Lebanon, greater paternal engagement was associated with higher age-standardised child development scores. The association was modest and did not show evidence of variation by cluster-level household assets or household nationality; within- and between-cluster engagement estimates were positive but not statistically significant.

Background

Early childhood development encompasses cognitive, emotional and social maturation, and nurturing care includes responsive caregiving, stimulation and opportunities for early learning. Research on caregiving has focused predominantly on mothers, while evidence on paternal engagement and its relationship to development across socioeconomic contexts remains limited. The study situates this question in Lebanon, where economic and social instability, conflict and a protracted refugee crisis may challenge conditions for young children’s development. Its analysis uses national survey data to examine paternal engagement in this context.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• The study combined age-standardised scores from the Global Scales of Early Development-Household Form for children aged 0–23 months and the Early Childhood Development Index-2030 for children aged 24–59 months into a pooled relative developmental-status measure.
• Paternal engagement was measured using five stimulation and three caregiving activities, with internal consistency reported as α=0.73.
• In hierarchical linear models, a one-unit increase in paternal engagement was associated with a 0.22 SD higher child ECD z-score (SE 0.11; p<0.05).
• Sensitivity estimates for the engagement association ranged from 0.13 to 0.32 SD.
• The study found no evidence that the association differed according to cluster-level household assets or household nationality.
• Within- and between-cluster components of paternal engagement were positive but not statistically significant; the study’s “What this study adds” section reports that the association was observed regardless of maternal caregiving or household assets.

Clinical Implications

The authors state that early child development programmes and policies in crisis-affected settings could intentionally support fathers as everyday caregivers alongside mothers and other kin. They also identify wider social protections as relevant to supporting child development; the study is cross-sectional and reports an association rather than a causal effect.

Conclusion

In this national Lebanese sample, higher paternal engagement was modestly associated with higher child development scores, with little reported variation across household-asset levels or communities. The findings add evidence on paternal caregiving and early development in a crisis-affected setting.

Related Resources & Content

1. Study authors, 2023 Lebanon Micronutrient, Anthropometric and Child Development Survey -- The Relationship Between Father Involvement and Child Development Outcomes in Lebanon: A Multilevel Analysis of National Data
2. UNICEF, 2025 -- Early Childhood Development: UNICEF ECD Country Profiles 2025
3. Father’s involvement is critical in social-emotional development in early childhood: A meta-analysis
4. Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) — Family Size and Longitudinal Outcomes of a Digital-Human Parenting Intervention in Chinese Preschool Families: Secondary Analysis
5. Frontiers in Pediatrics — Impact of Parental Employment on Emotional and Behavioral Issues in Preschoolers in Western China: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
6. Frontiers in Psychiatry — Examining the Long-Term Links Between Relationship Quality and Prosocial Behavior in Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Influence of Life Meaning
7. BMJ Paediatrics Open — Fathering Approaches, Adolescent Smartphone Dependency, and the Mediating Influence of Self-Efficacy
8. UNICEF Early Childhood Development Country Profiles 2025
9. Father’s involvement is critical in social-emotional development in early childhood: A meta-analysis
10. EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
11. Father’s involvement is critical in social-emotional development in early childhood: A meta-analysis - ScienceDirect
12. Blended Delivery of a Primary Care Parenting Program for Child Development: A Randomized Clinical Trial | Pediatrics | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network