A recent study from Penn State University further reinforces a tenet of Care Net’s Pro Abundant Life movement: that a father’s presence and engagement are vital to a child’s healthy development.
Researchers examined how early parent-child interactions relate to children’s physical health later in childhood. They found that supportive, engaged father-child relationships were linked to healthier cardio and metabolic outcomes by age seven.
…Supportive, engaged father-child relationships were linked to healthier cardio and metabolic outcomes by age seven.
The study was conducted by Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development and published in December 2025 in Health Psychology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Psychological Association.
This data should come as no surprise to those in the pro-life community. Care Net President and CEO Roland Warren often stresses the important role of fathers, especially in couples facing unplanned pregnancies.
“Fathers are vital to the well-being of children and families,” he said. “Children with involved fathers, ideally married to the mothers of their children, do better across every measurement of child well-being compared to children in father-absent homes.”
“Children with involved fathers, ideally married to the mothers of their children, do better across every measurement of child well-being compared to children in father-absent homes.”
For the Penn State study, researchers followed families over time, observing the quality of interactions between children and both fathers and mothers during early childhood. They then measured children’s health outcomes several years later.
Children whose fathers demonstrated warmth, responsiveness, and supportive engagement tended to show healthier biological markers. In contrast, similar measures of mother–child interaction did not show the same statistically significant association with these specific physical health indicators.
The study also highlighted the importance of cooperative coparenting. Supportive coordination between parents appeared to reinforce positive outcomes, suggesting that family dynamics as a whole matter for child well-being. Importantly, the researchers did not argue that mothers are unimportant to child health. Rather, the findings suggest that fathers may play a distinct and measurable role in shaping certain long-term physical health outcomes.
On his daily podcast, The Briefing, Dr. Albert Mohler said the new research confirmed that fathers are uniquely important in specific interactions with children.
Mohler noted that the study, despite our modern age’s open denial of the importance of fathers, demonstrates that “children really do need both their biological mother and the biological father.”
“It’s an affirmation of the fact that God’s intention in creating the family, growing out of marriage with a union of a man and a woman who become the father and the mother, is something that comes with blessings and benefits because of creation order.”
Roland Warren often cites the significance of that creation order when discussing Care Net’s Pro Abundant Life vision, which is based on John 10:10.
“Fathers are valuable to God,” he said. “We know this for a number of biblical reasons, but one in particular stands out: the story of the birth of Jesus Christ himself. Right after God sent an angel to Mary to tell her that she was going to give birth to Christ, he sent an angel to Joseph to tell him to be a husband, to marry, and be a father to Jesus. God was setting an example for us about the importance of marriage and fatherhood in the birth of Christ.”
To address the need to reach and equip men who are involved in unplanned pregnancies, Care Net has developed robust resources, including its Doctor Dad course, to prepare pregnancy centers to welcome men and meet them with compassion, hope, and help from the onset of their fatherhood journey.
“Being Pro Abundant Life means not just saving babies from abortion, but building strong God-honoring families so children can thrive in the abundance God has for them, Roland Warren said.
Regarding the study, Alp Aytuglu, a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State, said the findings highlight the importance of both parents. He noted that while mothers are often the primary caregivers, fathers still have a powerful and lasting influence on a child’s health.
“The takeaway here is that in families with a father in the household, dads affect the environment in ways that can support or undermine the health of the child for years to come,” he said.