Child Support Compliance in Fatherhood Programs: The Role of Hope, Role Salience, and Parenting Skills

This study evaluates the roles of hope, parenting role salience, and parenting skills in predicting change in a non-custodial parent’s compliance with child support. The authors surveyed participants in a responsible fatherhood program both prior to the start of the program and upon completion. The study measured five factors: child support compliance intent, relationship with the child, parenting role salience, parenting skills, and hope for the future. The fatherhood program provided the participants with a fatherhood-specific curriculum and support for finding employment. The results of the survey show that as the fathers became more confident in their parenting skills and had more hope that they also indicated an intent to comply with child support.