Fathers more responsive to toddler daughters than sons
Fathers' brain response to their child was analyzed through functional MRI brain scans.
(ONLINE - Fathers brains react differently to daughters than sons, according to a study published in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience. The research reveals that the gender of a child may influence the daily interactions of a father.
Jennifer Mascaro, Ph.D., an assistant professor of family and preventative medicine at the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA, led the research with collaborators from
Emory University and the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Parenting studies conducted in laboratories are often biased due to participants either giving answers to questions that they think they are expected to provide, or because they are unaware of their own behavior at home. The researchers overcome this hurdle by using a small, hand-held computer clipped onto the belts of fathers to monitor real-world paternal behavior.
The device was used for 1 day at the weekend and 1 weekday, and it was switched on to record sound for 50 seconds every 9 minutes. The study participants included 52 fathers of toddlers, including 30 girls and 22 boys, from the Atlanta area. Although some of the participants had more than one child, the data studied focused on their interactions with one son or one daughter.
Mascaro and team also asked the fathers to charge the device in their child s room to pick up any interactions between the father and toddler overnight.
"People act shockingly normal when they are wearing it," says Mascaro. "They kind of forget they are wearing it, or they say to themselves, what are the odds it s on right now."
Fathers brain response to their child was analyzed through functional MRI brain scans. They were shown an image of an unknown child, an unknown adult, and then their child with sad, happy, and neutral facial expressions to detect their neural response.
Participants with sons used language connected with achievement, using words such as "win," "top," and "proud," while fathers of daughters used more analytical language that has been associated with future academic success, such as "all," "below," and "much."
Furthermore, fathers used more language with daughters that referenced the child s body, including "belly," "foot," and "tummy." Other research has indicated that before adolescence, more girls than boys report body dissatisfaction and have low self-esteem about body image.
"If the child cries out or asks for dad, fathers of daughters responded to that more than did fathers of sons," explained Mascaro. "We should be aware of how unconscious notions of gender can play into the way we treat even very young children."
The MRI brain scans uncovered that greater responses in the areas of the brain responsible for reward, visual processing, emotion regulation, and face processing were seen in response to daughters happy faces than of sons . No significant difference was noticed in brain responses resulting from sons and daughters having sad facial expressions.
"The fact that fathers may actually be less attentive to the emotional needs of boys, perhaps despite their best intentions, is important to recognize," Mascaro continues.
Research has linked suppressed emotions in adult men with depression, marital dissatisfaction, decreased social intimacy, and being less likely to ask for help with mental health.
Jennifer Mascaro, Ph.D. said that "Most dads are trying to do the best they can and do all the things they can to help their kids succeed, but it s important to understand how their interactions with their children might be subtly biased based on gender."
