Disciplinarian fathers are also engaged with their babies but they tend to emphasize what is right and wrong, to clean up and to focus on order. They play for short periods, and care-giving is minimal. Disengaged fathers have few functions that characterize their time with babies. The way a father approaches his infant may relate to his job. All-around fathers and disengaged fathers tend to have higher status jobs as compared with playmate and disciplinarian fathers.
Disengaged fathers tend to struggle with more depression and tension.
Yet they share with all-around dads a basic optimism in their work. Playmate dads seem to struggle more with job satisfaction and report more difficulties with colleagues. Further studies on how a father's personality and job affect a young family are ongoing. Dr. Schwarzbeck is assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia and is on the faculty of the University of Washington Medical School.