Geoffrey BrownMary Sue and Mike Shannon Chair for Thriving Children and Families | Professor of Human Development & Family Studies

My work focuses on the role of family relationships in supporting healthy social and emotional development in infancy and early childhood. I have a particular interest in fathering, and my research has explored the development of early father-child relationships and paternal contributions to early development. A number of my studies have examined the correlates of father involvement and father-child attachment security.

My research program is elucidating the developmental course of fathering, family relationships, and healthy infant development in varied ecological and socio-cultural contexts. For example, we have been funded by NIH to examine contextual factors affecting the transition to parenthood, and fathers’ contributions to infant development among unmarried, African American men in rural environments. My work aims to contribute to a greater understanding of parenting and early healthy development, as well as to inform strengths-based programs that can meet the needs of fathers, mothers, and young children, particularly among those facing challenging contextual circumstances.

Selected Publications

Aytuglu, A., Thomas, C., Freeman, J., Howard, C. J., Huang, Y., Koss, K. J., Ravindran, N., & Brown, G. L. (2025). Prenatal readiness for fatherhood and early socio-emotional development in Black infants. Developmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0002010

Brown, G. L., Mangelsdorf, S. C., Neff, C. N., Shigeto, A. S., Aytuglu, A., & Thomas, C. R. (2022). Infant attachment configurations with mothers and fathers: Implications for triadic interaction quality and children’s parental preferences. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 58, 155-164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.09.004

Brown, G. L., Kogan, S. M., & Cho, J. (2020). Pathways linking childhood trauma to rural, unmarried, African American father involvement through oxytocin receptor gene methylation. Developmental Psychology, 56(8), 1496-1508. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000929

Brown, G. L., & Cox, M. J. (2020). Fathers’ pleasure in parenting and infant-father attachment. Attachment and Human Development, 22, 51-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2019.1589061

Brown, G. L., Mangelsdorf, S. C., Shigeto, A., & Wong, M. S. (2018). Associations between father involvement and father-child attachment security: Variations based on timing and type of involvement. Journal of Family Psychology, 32(8), 1015-1024. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000472

For a full list of publications, see Brown’s CV.

Featured Media

• The New York Times, The Damage of Dad-Shaming
• The Wall Street Journal, Roughhousing Lessons from Dad
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Things Aren’t Peachy for Working Moms in Georgia, Ranking Finds