Fathers’ Role in Compassion-Based Prophetic Parenting in Early Childhood: A Systematic Literature Review in the Context of Indonesian Muslim Families
Abstract
Background: Father involvement protects early development, but Indonesian fathers remain less involved in emotional care. Studies on fathering and prophetic parenting remain separate, with no synthesis linking them through compassion (rahmah).
Methods: Following PRISMA 2020, Google Scholar, SINTA, and Scopus were searched (2016–2025); 10 of 70 records were analysed by thematic synthesis.
Results: Four themes emerged: fathers as moral-religious role models, as affectionate and responsive figures, and as supporters of social-emotional development, plus enabling and constraining factors. Evidence for the first theme is mainly conceptual.
Novelty: Unlike previous reviews, this study integrates father involvement, rahmah-based prophetic parenting, and early childhood development, separating normative principles from empirical evidence in a conceptual framework for Indonesian Muslim families.
Conclusion: Rahmah bridges father involvement and prophetic parenting, but causal claims require longitudinal studies with validated instruments.
Downloads
References
Aisyah, S., and D. Fitriani. 2023. “Keterlibatan Ayah dalam Pengasuhan Anak Usia Dini Berbasis Nilai Islami.” Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini 7(4):4211–23. doi: 10.31004/obsesi.v7i4.4121.
al-Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Isma‘il. n.d. Sahih al-Bukhari. Kitab al-Adab, Hadith no. 5997.
Alwi, M., and N. Rahmah. 2024. “Prophetic Parenting dalam Pembentukan Karakter Anak Usia Dini.” Jurnal Pendidikan Islam Anak Usia Dini 8(1):45–59.
Ancell, Katherine S., Deborah A. Bruns, and Jonathan Chitiyo. 2018. “The Importance of Father Involvement in Early Childhood Programs.” Young Exceptional Children 21(1):22–33.
Aryanti, Yuni. 2017. “Peran Ayah dalam Pengasuhan Anak Usia Dini.” Jurnal Pendidikan Dompet Dhuafa 7(1):21–24.
Bandura, Albert. 1977. Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Bowlby, John. 1969. Attachment and Loss. Vol. 1, Attachment. New York: Basic Books.
Brown, Geoffrey L., Sarah C. Mangelsdorf, Ayako Shigeto, and Maria S. Wong. 2018. “Associations between Father Involvement and Father–Child Attachment Security: Variations Based on Timing and Type of Involvement.” Journal of Family Psychology 32(8):1015–24. doi: 10.1037/fam0000472.
Cabrera, Natasha J., Brenda L. Volling, and Rachel Barr. 2018. “Fathers Are Parents, Too! Widening the Lens on Parenting for Children’s Development.” Child Development Perspectives 12(3):152–57. doi: 10.1111/cdep.12275.
Jeong, Joshua, Emily E. Franchett, Clariana V. Ramos de Oliveira, Karima Rehmani, and Aisha K. Yousafzai. 2021. “Parenting Interventions to Promote Early Child Development in the First Three Years of Life: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” PLOS Medicine 18(5):e1003602. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003602.
Jeong, Joshua, Dana Charles McCoy, Aisha K. Yousafzai, Carmel Salhi, and Günther Fink. 2016. “Paternal Stimulation and Early Child Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.” Pediatrics 138(4):e20161357. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-1357.
Lamb, Michael E., ed. 2010. The Role of the Father in Child Development. 5th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Nair, Sapna, Shivani Chandramohan, Nandhini Sundaravathanam, Arvind Balaji Rajasekaran, and Rathish Sekhar. 2020. “Father Involvement in Early Childhood Care: Insights from a MEL System in a Behavior Change Intervention among Rural Indian Parents.” Frontiers in Public Health 8:516. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00516.
Nugrahani, Hayuning Zaskya, Dwi Hastuti, and Tin Herawati. 2021. “Gambaran Keterlibatan Ayah dalam Pengasuhan Anak Usia Dini.” Jurnal Muara Ilmu Sosial, Humaniora, dan Seni 5(1):215–24.
Nursyahbani, Coryza, Muniroh Munawar, and Dwi Prasetyawati Diyah Hariyanti. 2025. “The Influence of Father Involvement in Early Childhood Care: A Systematic Review of Factors and Their Impact.” Al-Athfaal: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini 8(2):13–28. doi: 10.24042/al-athfaal.v82.28688.
Page, Matthew J., Joanne E. McKenzie, Patrick M. Bossuyt, Isabelle Boutron, Tammy C. Hoffmann, Cynthia D. Mulrow, et al. 2021. “The PRISMA 2020 Statement: An Updated Guideline for Reporting Systematic Reviews.” BMJ 372:n71. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n71.
Rollè, Luca, Giulia Gullotta, Tommaso Trombetta, Lorenzo Curti, Eva Gerino, Piera Brustia, and Angela M. Caldarera. 2019. “Father Involvement and Cognitive Development in Early and Middle Childhood: A Systematic Review.” Frontiers in Psychology 10:2405. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02405.
Snyder, Hannah. 2019. “Literature Review as a Research Methodology: An Overview and Guidelines.” Journal of Business Research 104:333–39. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039.
Sujalmo, Ajeng Hayyu, and Achmad Chusairi. 2023. “Determinant Factors of Father Involvement in Early Childhood with Disabilities: A Systematic Review.” Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini 7(5):6028–40. doi: 10.31004/obsesi.v7i5.5225.
Thomas, James, and Angela Harden. 2008. “Methods for the Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Research in Systematic Reviews.” BMC Medical Research Methodology 8:45. doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-8-45.
Volling, Brenda L., and Natasha J. Cabrera, eds. 2019. “Advancing Research and Measurement on Fathering and Children’s Development.” Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development 84(1). doi: 10.1111/mono.12404.
WHO, UNICEF, and World Bank Group. 2018. Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development: A Framework for Helping Children Survive and Thrive to Transform Health and Human Potential. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Yogman, Michael, Craig F. Garfield, and Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. 2016. “Fathers’ Roles in the Care and Development of Their Children: The Role of Pediatricians.” Pediatrics 138(1):e20161128. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-1128.
