Examining the Father-Child Relationship: Intact vs. Not Intact Families and Child Outcomes of Academic Performance, Conduct, and Self-Esteem

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Examining the Father-Child Relationship Intact
vs. Not Intact Families and Child Outcomes of
Academic Performance, Conduct, and Self-Esteem

• Ashley Recker
• Hanover College
• Hanover, IN

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Intact vs. Not Intact

• Intact families Biological father and biological
  mother either living together or married.
• Not intact families Biological father and
  biological mother are either divorced, separated,
  or the biological father/other male influence is
  nonexistent.

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Parenting Styles

• Parenting styles are normal variations in the
  ways in which parents socialize and control their
  children.

Responsiveness High Low
Demandingness Low High
(Baumrind, 1991 Shaffer, 1999)
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Responsiveness and Affect

• The amount of support and affection a parent
  displays towards their child.
• (Shaffer, 1999)
• Associated with predicting social competence and
  psychosocial development.
• (Darling, 1999)
• When not responsive children tend to associate
  with deviant peers and show greater levels of
  externalizing behaviors.
• (Kim, Hethering, Reiss, 1999)

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• Hostile and neglectful parenting styles are
  associated with aggression, deviant behaviors,
  and adjustment problems.
• Warm and responsive parenting styles predict
  social competence and cooperative behavior.
• (Chen, Liu, Li, 2000)

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The Difference between Mother and Father Roles

• Mothers usually take on custodial/routine
  caregiving roles (e.g., feeding and cleaning).
• Fathers tend to engage in more social stimulation
  and interactive activities (e.g., play and
  helping with homework).
• (Jain, Belsky Crnic, 1996 Yeung, et al., 2001)

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Benefits of the Father

• Father availability and involvement is associated
  with academic success as well as socio-emotional
  and cognitive well-being/gains in school-age
  children.
• (Howard, Lefever, et al., 2006)

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• More frequent and regular contact with the father
  is associated with more intense relationships and
  fewer adjustment problems in children.
• (Dunn, Cheng, OConnor, Bridges, 2004)

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So, why is the father-child relationship
important?

• Since 1960, the number of births to unmarried
  mothers has increased 6 times.
• Fathers may act as a buffer to children whose
  mothers are high risk.
• (Howard, Lefever, Borkowski, Whitman, 2006)

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• Even in intact families, the level of
  father-child engagement decreases with age.
• A fathers earnings have a negative effect on
  their level of involvement with their children
  during the week.
• On weekends this effect is positive.
• (Yeung Sandberg, et al., 2001)

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Research Question

• Does family status (intact or not intact)
  effect child outcomes in the areas of academic
  performance, conduct, and self-esteem?

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It is Hypothesized that.

• Individuals of intact families will have more
  positive outcomes than those of not intact
  families in regards to academic performance,
  conduct, and self-esteem.
• Individuals whose father-child relationship is
  more negative, regardless of whether or not they
  come from intact or not intact families, will
  report more negative outcomes in academic
  performance, conduct, and self-esteem.

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Method

• Participants
• 232 males and females
• Online self report questionnaire
• Demographics
• Father-Child Relationship
• Academic Performance
• Self-Esteem
• Conduct

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Measuring the Father-Child Relationship

• Father Autonomy Support 9 items
• Father Involvement 6 items
• Father Warmth 6 items
• (The POPS Scale for College Students Grolnick,
  Ryan Deci, 1991)
• (Cronbachs Alpha 0.919)

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Academic Performance, Self-Esteem, Conduct

• Academic performance
• Author created scale
• Self-Esteem
• Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale
• (Rosenberg, 1965)
• Conduct
• Self-Report Delinquency Scale
• (Elliot Ageton, 1980)

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Results

• Original number of data entries
• 273
• Deleted
• 19 - Did not complete
• 6 - Replicated
• 16 - Age (under 18)
• Final number of participants
• 232

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Demographics

• Family Status
• 62 Intact
• 38 Not Intact
• 8 father deceased
• 2.6 step father or other male figure present

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Table 1. Demographics
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Table 2. Who Survey is About
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Comparing Family Status and Father-Child
Relationships

• Father Warmth
• t(230)2.72, p .007
• Intact M 4.69, Not Intact M4.30
• Father Autonomy Support
• t(230)2.13, p .03
• Intact M 4.37, Not Intact M4.10
• Father Involvement
• t(230)4.70, p lt .001
• Intact M 4.69, Not Intact M4.30

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Family Status and Child Outcomes

• Academic Performance Not significant
• Number of times held back
• GPA
• Highest level of education
• Tutoring/Academic Help
• Involvement in extracurricular activity

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• Conduct Not significant
• Assault
• Robbery
• Drug Use
• Alcohol Use
• Disorderly Conduct
• Self Esteem Not significant

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Father-Child Relationships and Child Outcomes

• Self-esteem
• r 0.196, p 0.003
• Involvement in extracurricular activity
• r -0.169, p 0.01

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What this means

• Family status has no significant impact on child
  outcomes.
• Academic performance
• Conduct
• Self-esteem
• Family status does influence father-child
  relationships.
• Intact families increased father warmth, father
  autonomy support, and father involvement.

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The father-child relationship is important
regardless of family status

• Father-child relationships do influence some
  child outcomes.
• Father Autonomy Support, Involvement, and Warmth
  all impact
• Involvement in extracurricular activity
• Self-esteem

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Limitations

• It is difficult to classify family status.
• E.g. Married but not living together,
  Married/living under the same roof but father
  deceased.
• Measures of the Father-Child relationship are
  perceived by the child.
• Study does not include young children.
• Family status may play a greater role in younger
  years when parents are the main support system.

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Future Research

• Age
• Children vs. Adults
• Young Adults vs. Older Adults
• Include ratings by parents for involvement,
  warmth, autonomy support.
• If possible, include teacher ratings for conduct
  and academic performance.
• Continue to explore the impact of the
  father-child relationship in regards to family
  status.

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References

• Baumrind, D. (1991). The influence of parenting
  style on adolescent competence and substance use.
  Journal of Early Adolescence, 11(1), 56-95.
• Chen, X., Liu, M., Li, D., (2000). Parental
  warmth, control, and indulgence and their
  relations to adjustment in Chinese children A
  longitudinal study. Journal of Family Psychology,
  14(3), 401-419.
• Darling, N., (1999). Parenting Style and Its
  Correlates. Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early
  Childhood Education.
• Dunn, J. Cheng, H., OConnor, T., Bridges, L.
  (2004). Childrens perspectives on their
  relationships with their nonresident fathers
  Influences, outcomes and implications. Journal of
  Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(3), 553-566.
• Elliot, D. Ageton, S. (1980). Reconciling race
  and class differences in self-reported and
  official estimates of delinquency. American
  Sociological Review, 45, 95-110.
• Grolnick, W., Ryan, M., Deci, E. (1991). Inner
  resources for school achievement Motivational
  mediators of childrens perceptions of their
  parents. Journal of Educational Psychology,
  83(4), 508-517.
• Howard, K., Lefever, J., Borkowski, J.,
  Whitman, T. (2006). Fathers influence in the
  lives of children with adolescent mothers.
  Journal of Family Psychology, 20(3), 468-476.
• Kim, J., Hetherington, M., Reiss, D. (1999).
  Associations among family relationships,
  antisocial peers, and adolescents externalizing
  behaviors Gender and family type differences.
  Child Development, 70(5), 1209-1230.
• Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent
  self-image. Princeton, NJ Princeton University
  Press.
• Shaffer, D. (1999). Developmental Psychology,
  Childhood and Adolescence (5th ed.). Pacific
  Grove, CA Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

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Questions?