Fatherhood Matters: An Integrative Review of Fatherhood Intervention Research.

The review included many different intervention types, settings, session numbers, theoretical frameworks, and supplemental services, so it cannot show which component caused any improvement. Study designs were heterogeneous, including randomized trials, quasi-experimental studies, qualitative studies, convenience samples, and pretest-posttest studies, so results cannot be treated as one high-quality test of fatherhood programs. The review excluded families of children with special needs, so it does not address children with disabilities or special health needs. The search was conducted in June 2018 and included only peer-reviewed English-language publications. The outcome ratings were based on how many domains improved, not a standard clinical scale or pooled effect size, so robust and moderate ratings do not tell a clinician how large the benefit was. Positive child outcomes were not consistent: 19 studies reported positive child outcomes, one reported a negative outcome, and several reported null or negative child outcomes.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that fatherhood interventions reliably improve child outcomes or that school nurse-led programs are proven. Only 19 of 44 studies reported positive child outcomes, one reported a negative child outcome, and the included interventions varied widely, so the review does not identify a single effective component.