NCJ Number
191107
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2001 Pages: 290-299
Date Published
November 2001
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study examined some possible effects of the presence and quality of parent-child interaction of fathers and father figures on child behavioral problems.
Abstract
The objective was to determine the effect of fathers and father figures, in a sample of families frequently reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) for child maltreatment, on the behavior and health of young children. The data were obtained during interviews with the primary caregiver when the child was 4 and 6 years of age, interviews with the child at age 4 and 6, and abstraction of CPS case files and teacher reports via mail. Results showed that the presence or absence of a father or father figure seemed to make little difference in child behavioral problems at age 4. Lower levels of aggression and depression were observed for children by age 6 if an adult male in some form of father-like relationship was present in the child’s life. When controlling for mother’s ethnicity, child’s gender, the number of referrals to child protective services, and the presence of domestic violence, the direct effect of a father/father figure was no longer significant but remained in the multivariate models as a significant interaction term. The absence of a male partner seemed to have a larger association in African American families. 2 tables, 2 notes, 40 references