The Dad Factor
Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at 10:30AM 
With special guests:
- Dr. Richard Fletcher and
- Dr. Jonica Newby.
Our first guest this week is Dr Richard Fletcher, who leads the ‘Fathers and Families Research Program’ at the University of Newcastle and is the author of ‘The Dad Factor’. In the 1990’s he pioneered the study of Men’s health and Boys’ health and founded the community-based group, Fathers Against Rape, to conduct workshops with teenage boys in schools. He developed the Engaging Fathers Project at the University of Newcastle and worked to have it implemented in communities nationally.
As a lecturer in the university’s Family Action Centre, he designed and delivered courses and seminars to teachers, nurses, occupational therapists and medical students. In his PhD, he researched fathers’ attachment to infants and children. He is the convener of the national fatherhood research network. He is also the co-editor of the book ‘Boys in Schools’.
Next we speak with Dr Jonica Newby, who is a former veterinarian turned reporter / producer for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s flagship TV science program, ‘Catalyst’. While her days of trying to read the minds of furry patients are long gone, her fascination with the lives of animals remains. Before joining Catalyst, she provided the original research and concept and wrote and presented a five part feature series for ABC TV on the domestication of animals, called The Animal Attraction. She is also author of an ABC book of the same name, and a contributor to various science media across the country.
Her ABC book (formerly titled as The Pact For Survival) was recently made into a documentary feature for Britain’s Channel 4. The book has been reissued under the title The Animal Attraction to accompany the screening of the five part series.
In her follow up to ‘Fatherhood: the Male Pregnancy?’, Dr Jonica Newby presents ‘Fatherhood: Secrets of the Superdads’ and catches up with our new dads to find out how they are coping with their first year of fatherhood, as we ask the question: can science tell us what makes a good dad?
In part 1 of Fatherhood, Dr Jonica Newby followed three dads-to-be, testing their hormones and their humour - as they made the transition to fatherhood. It revealed the biological changes that turn human males into caring dads, and examined couvade syndrome - a sort of sympathetic male pregnancy.
While serving his apprenticeship as a plumber Dr. Richard Fletcher attended night school to gain entry to Sydney University to study science. He taught science in high schools in NSW, Kenya and the United States.
After working for TAFE specialising in reaching marginalised groups, he was contracted to the Health Promotion Unit to examine domestic violence prevention. As a result he pioneered the development of Men’s Health and Boys’ Health areas of study. In 1992 he founded a community-based group, Fathers Against Rape, to conduct workshops with teenage boys in schools. As a lecturer in Health Studies in the Discipline of Paediatrics, University of Newcastle and Team Leader of The Engaging fathers Project, Family Action Centre, he has designed and delivered courses and seminars on Health Research, Boys’ development and Father involvement to teachers, nurses, occupational therapists, and medical students. His PhD thesis on fathers’ attachment to infants and children was accepted in 2008.
Having been with Catalyst since its beginning in 2001, Jonica’s reporting interests have since broadened considerably. From the future of oil to the frontiers of space to the intricate workings of the human brain, Jonica presents powerful science stories about the advances that shape our lives. In 2006, she was awarded Australia’s premier science journalism prize, the Eureka Prize for Science Journalism. Dr Jonica Newby has a Bachelor of Science degree, and a first class honours degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery at Murdoch University in Perth in 1989.
After working for a few years in a mixed veterinary practice, Jonica Newby turned to freelance consultancy and broadcasting. From 1992 - 1998, Dr Newby was a consultant to the Petcare Information and Advisory Service. She was a member of the Board of the Australian Veterinary Association from 1996 - 99. Her association with the ABC goes back to 1994 when she became an occasional contributor to the Science Show on ABC’s Radio National. Our three dads have now changed their first nappies and spent their first sleep-interrupted nights. They’ve also said goodbye to something most males hold very dear - their testosterone. Common in many animal species, after courtship and birth have occurred, testosterone plummets. Tests reveal the same to occur in men.
But other biological changes can occur. Post-natal depression, recognised in some women after childbirth, can also afflict men. Unfortunately, it can be the touchpaper that causes the departure of a father from the family unit. The biological and behavioural impacts on children who don’t have devoted contact with their fathers is presented and reveals outcomes such as early onset of puberty, higher school drop-out rates and delinquency.
This suggests that dads provide something different to mums when it comes to nurturing our kids. And playtime is a large part of it. Experiments show a link between the ability of kids to mix with their peers and time spent playing fun games with dad.
The challenge that is addressed is the modern prevalence of non-residential dads and whether it is possible to be a good dad and a non-residential one. It is highly complex with many factors at play such as money, relationships and education. But it seems that dads are getting better at being all round parents - not just fun playmates.
The more we look, the more we discover about what it takes to be a good dad - there’s the natural biology - and there’re the behaviours we can learn.
Editor