In 1993, the National Research Council noted the relative absence of research projects on how fathers contribute to the risk for or protection from child maltreatment. A more recent review of the research literature reveals that research on a father’s role in child maltreatment remains seriously lacking. Yet there has been enough evidence produced to show that fathers do have a significant role in child development and that the presence or absence of a father can directly and indirectly contribute to the risk of child abuse and neglect or can serve as a protective factor. Research is reviewed on the handful of studies that have focused on the father’s role in child maltreatment, including a study published in 2006 that discovered several predictors of subsequent child maltreatment directly tied to fathers, such as father employment and father not being the biological parent to all the children in the home. There has also been research regarding the broader context of father implication in child maltreatment. For example, some studies have pointed out that a father’s absence leads to an increased likelihood of familial economic deprivation, which is a risk factor for child physical abuse and neglect. Recommendations are offered for future research into the father’s role in child maltreatment, including the recommendation to gather data on fathers from the men themselves and to examine father-relevant factors separately from mothers. References