Latest Statement of the Obvious: Involved Dads Benefit Kids

This shouldn't be news, but a review of 24 papers published in the last two decades has concluded definitively (though not surprisingly) that having an involved father has the effect of

reducing behaviour problems in boys and psychological problems in young women ...

... Swedish researchers also found that regular positive contact reduces criminal behaviour among children in low-income families and enhances cognitive skills like intelligence, reasoning and language development.

The benefits were long-lasting, too.

And extra-credit to the research team for making clear that their conclusions apply to both fathers and "father figures." Not every kid has a biological father around, but that alone doesn't doom anyone.