Moderators of the Relationship Between Maternal Gatekeeping and Father Involvement: A Meta-Analysis
By: Qudsia Khalid
Department: Psychology
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jeff Cookston
Previous studies have found a positive association between maternal gatekeeping (mother's beliefs that facilitate or limit fathers' engagement with the child) and father involvement, however, much less is known about what underlies this association. The current study aims to develop a better understanding about the moderators of these behaviors and how strongly they are associated. Examples of these moderators include sociocultural influences, parental attributes, child characteristics, and parental relationship quality. In the form of a meta-analysis, I will identify the patterns and synthesize the literature that currently assesses gatekeeping and father engagement. This meta-analysis will include a minimum of 28 empirical studies. A variety of search methods will be employed to locate pertinent and applicable studies for inclusion. A systematic search of the literature will be performed using the following online databases; PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO. In addition, I will email scholars of the topic to ask for unpublished papers, conference presentations, and theses and dissertations. For analysis, correlation coefficient sizes would then be examined using a statistical software such as MetaXL or Jamovi.