The design and development of the father-child instrument (FCI) for assessing the characteristics of fathers' availability and engagement with their preschool children.
Despite the fact that father-child involvement has extensive effects on the health and well-being of the family, there is a paucity of research on fathers' presence in health care research. The design and development of an instrument for assessing the characteristics of fathers' availability and engagement with their preschool-aged children in Finland is presented. Data collection was undertaken in two separate periods involving 263 and 821 fathers. Results indicate that the father-child instrument (FCI) is ready for use in research seeking to assess fathers' availability and engagement with their preschoolers. Further research is nonetheless required to assess the potential for a more sensitive interaction and for the generalization of the FCI.