Previous research has demonstrated that exposure to family disruption/father absence (due to parental relationship dissolution) is a significant risk factor for early pubertal development in daughters. Moreover, the earlier in life that this exposure occurs, the greater the risk of these outcomes for girls. Two opposing classes of explanation have been proposed for this reliable finding. First, evolutionary-based developmental experience models have proposed that father absence may actually cause early pubertal development in daughters through mechanisms that remain to be elucidated. Second, this association may arise from either a genetic or a family-wide environmental confound. To discriminate between these two competing classes of explanation (i.e., causal vs. noncausal), a retrospective study employing a community sample of full biological sister pairs was conducted in New Zealand. This study examined menarchael age in (a) a primary group comprising age-discrepant biologically disrupted/father absent sister pairs (n = 68), and (b) a matched control group comprising age-discrepant biologically intact/father present sister pairs (n = 93). According to the causation model, if greater exposure to family disruption/father absence causes earlier pubertal development in girls, then in families in which (a) full biological sisters are discrepant in age, and (b) the younger sister has experienced more prolonged father absence than has her older sister, younger sisters should be at greater risk for earlier pubertal development. By contrast, if a genetic or family-wide environmental confound explains this association, full biological sisters should not systematically differ in pubertal timing as a function of birth order, even if they have experienced different amounts of father absence. The unique contribution of the current study to this area of inquiry is its employment of a differential sibling exposure design to test the explanatory value of the two opposing classes of explanation (i.e., causal versus noncausal). This genetically and environmentally controlled sibling design was utilised (a) to test the central hypothesis that the birth order/age discrepancy (older versus younger) between sisters would interact with family type (biologically disrupted vs. biologically intact) to predict the size of sibling differences in menarcheal age, and (b) to test for potential moderating effects of paternal dysfunction. Consistent with evolutionary causal models, the current sibling comparison study revealed that within biologically disrupted/father-absent families, younger sisters (who had more prolonged exposure to father absence) had earlier menarcheal ages than did their older sisters. The current study was therefore not only able to distinguish between the two competing classes of explanations, but its findings plausibly supported a causal rather than a noncausal explanation for the association between father absence and earlier pubertal timing in girls. Moreover, it revealed that this association is more nuanced than previously thought, because the accelerating effect of family disruption/father absence on daughters’ menarcheal timing was moderated by fathers’ functioning in the family. The current study has eight important limitations that can be used to direct future research. These limitations are detailed along with proffered suggestions (where applicable) for addressing them in future studies. Possible mediating mechanisms for the earlier menarcheal timing found in daughters from biologically disrupted/father absent families are also proposed. Finally, the implications of the current study’s findings for both parents and daughters in biologically disrupted/father absent families are discussed.

Father absence is the experience of children who grow up in households without their biological father. The African American population experiences the highest level of father absence of all demographic groups in the United States. Research shows that father absence influences school behavior. There is a lack of literature evaluating the extent to which father absence affects children, particularly African American boys, at different stages of development. This quantitative study was used to evaluate how father absence affected school behavior of African American boys, ages 13-15, in the middle school setting, in Houston, TX. Guided by attachment theory, the research question for this study asked how father absence impacts the school behavior of African American boys between the ages of 13 and 15 from mother-only homes when compared to school behavior of African American boys from intact families. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to examine overall and types of externalizing behavior of 60 purposive sampled participants identified from the Child Behavior Checklist-Teacher Report Scale subscales. Results indicated that African American boys from father absent homes displayed an overall higher rate of externalizing behavior than same- aged peers from intact families on all 3 dependent variables (Overall, Rule-Breaking, and Aggressive Behavior). This study is an important contribution to the existing literature and enhances social change initiatives by bringing increased focus on school behavior, adolescent behavior, middle school practices, and behavior interventions. Specifically, the results of this study can be used by educational stakeholders to develop early intervention and prevention programs to address behaviors associated with the absent father experience.

Scholars confirm that a huge proportion of black South African men are not participating in their children's upbringing, as a result, children face various challenges that impede their wellbeing. This study is of the view that there is still a need for further investigations to explore the effects of fatherlessness on children's wellbeing and to gain new perspectives on father absence within the context of black societies in South Africa. With that in mind, this study aimed to explore the impact of fatherlessness on the psychosocial wellbeing of young black South African men. The objectives of this study included investigating the following: (1) young men's experiences of growing up without their biological fathers; (2) the psychosocial effects of growing up without a biological father on young black men; (3) the ways in which fatherlessness shapes the development of a gendered (masculine) identity among young black men; and (4) to understand the ways in which fatherlessness shapes young men's participation in cultural practices that facilitate their transition to manhood (e.g. ulwaluko). A qualitative approach research approach was adopted for this study. Semi-structured interviews (face to face) were used for data collection, and both purposive sampling and snowball sampling methods were used to recruit participants for this study. The interviews were conducted with twenty-four (24) young black men (participants) who shared their experiences of growing up without the presence of their biological fathers. These participants resided in Langa township (Western Cape). The interviews were conducted during the third wave of Covid-19, so all the protocols to safeguard the spread of Covid-19 were observed. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. It further drew on the psychosocial developmental theory by Erik Erickson (1963) as a lens through which it reflects on young men's developmental processes and the ways in which such development is shaped by the absence of biological fathers. The findings suggest that many of the participants' conceptions of the roles of fathers were in line with the traditional views of fathers as financial providers, protectors, and disciplinarians. The results of this study also gave insight into challenges faced by young black men who grew up without their biological fathers. These challenges were related to their cultural identity, which then affected their capacity to build intimate relationships, affected them when they were undergoing ulwaluko, and affected their constructions of masculinity. Fatherlessness was also shown to have a negative impact on the education and psychosocial wellbeing of the young black men in the study.

No description available.

BACKGROUND: Father absence or uninvolvement is a growing problem worldwide, which not only negatively influences child development, but also the masculine identity formation of boy children. South Africa is one of the countries that has high levels of father absence, yet there has been scant research which particularly focuses on the perceptions, experiences and psycho-social challenges experienced by young men with absent fathers. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the perceived influence of father absence or uninvolvement on Xhosa young men who have transitioned from adolescence to manhood. The first objective was to explore the perceptions, experiences and the psycho-social challenges of Xhosa young men in Khayelitsha, Western Cape who have transitioned from adolescence to manhood without present or involved fathers. The second objective was to explore Xhosa male elders' perceptions of the experiences and challenges of Xhosa young men who culturally transition from adolescence to manhood without present or involved fathers. The third objective was to identify the support needs of Xhosa young men before, during and after transitioning from adolescence to manhood in the absence of a present or involved biological father. METHODOLOGY: Using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory as a conceptual framework, the study employed a qualitative approach to investigate factors that shape and influence experiences of Xhosa young men with absent or uninvolved fathers at individual, family, community and societal levels. Semi-structured in-depth individual interviews were conducted using interview guides covering various topics: family life; conceptualisation of manhood and fatherhood; father absence in Xhosa communities and its causes and impacts; the value of social fathers as well as the possible preventative interventions at different levels of the society to promote father presence or involvement and mitigate the impact of father absence. All interviews took place at different venues offered by community organisations in Khayelitsha (Ilitha Park, Site B and Nkanini) in the Western Cape province. They were conducted in isiXhosa, audio-recorded, transcribed and translated into English for analysis. Data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis utilising the NVivo 12 software package. During transcription, three researchers read the transcripts and developed an initial coding framework which was then used to code the rest of the data, making adjustments as necessary. The data were categorised thematically paying attention to dominant themes that addressed the research questions, while being open to additional themes arising in the data, and this process occurred until no new themes emerged. ETHICAL APPROVAL: The ethical approval of this study was provided by the UCT Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC 654/2018). RESULTS: The interviews were conducted with 22 Xhosa young men with absent or uninvolved fathers (ages 18-22) and five Xhosa male elders (ages 55-73). Due to the sensitivity of the topic initiation, a vignette was used to avoid directness. The main perceptions, experiences and psychosocial challenges of Xhosa young men who have transitioned from adolescence to manhood without present or involved fathers, were synthesised as follows: (i) The meaning given to cultural male circumcision by young men and elders were its individual family benefits. (ii) The challenges of Xhosa patriarchy, a father's role, and his absence, and paternal connection needs during initiation: planning, masculine guidance and protection, emotional and cultural support. (iii) The significance of the fatherly role and implications of father absence before and beyond initiation: the traditional and modern role. (iv) Barriers to father presence or uninvolvement: financial constraints, maternal gate-keeping and mother's negative attitudes. Using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, the support needs of Xhosa young men without present or involved fathers before, during and after transitioning from adolescence to manhood were identified as follows: (i) At the microsystem level, single mothers and maternal families of Xhosa young men need to be open regarding father absence, acknowledge the pain it causes and avoid maternal gatekeeping and paternal identity concealment. However, they also need to receive psycho-social support in order to be able to link the young men with social fathers, especially around initiation. (ii) At the mesosystem level, the social institutions such as churches, schools and sports clubs should have awareness regarding father absence or uninvolvement as a social problem in order to be sensitive towards the emotional needs of children with absent or uninvolved fathers. (iii) At the exosystem level, there is a need for fathers' environments (such as family, friends and the workplace) to encourage and foster lifestyles that promote father presence or involvement. (iv)At the macrosystem level, the media should raise awareness of father absence, and there must be policies and programmes that promote egalitarian parenting. (v) At the chronosystem level, there is a need to embrace and practice the modern fatherhood role which requires the father to be warm, spend quality time and have strong communication with his children. CONCLUSION: Cultural initiation is a crucial time for emotional and cultural growth which largely contributes to the development of manhood identity; it benefits the person on an individual and family level. However, this study notes that initiation comes with advantages and disadvantages for the Xhosa young men. It is a vehicle for growth, but also serves as a reminder of the vacant paternal role during this culturally significant process, especially in the midst of maternal gate-keeping and paternal identity concealment issues. Furthermore, in the course of their lives, the young men also experience loss related to not being exposed to the various positive roles a father would play, including the roles of disciplinarian, provider and the nurturer. Even though social fathers and strong maternal kin support could help Xhosa young men to cope better, the void of the biological father remains unfilled, especially around the period of initiation due to the emotional, cultural and financial implications of the ritual. This study shows that the young men could experience depression, be suicidal, have anger and resort to substance use when not supported. There is thus a need for multi-dimensional interventions to address these issues. These should start with psycho-educational support for maternal families to empower them to be supportive towards the emotional and cultural needs of the young men as the families do not always possess the necessary skills to support a child in this predicament. Absent fathers also need to be engaged in order to understand the reasons leading to their disengagement, and to sensitise them regarding the consequences of their absence for them to better understand the permanence of fatherhood. Advocacy is needed to make the wider society aware of the support needs of Xhosa young men who go through initiation in the absence of a father. Finally, the strategies that seem to yield positive results in managing father absence need to be strengthened, namely: strong maternal family support, social fathering, counselling and mentorship.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:38:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Romina Carla Pucci.pdf: 884666 bytes, checksum: 03f44a19c814ea8a9226cc0b37c9eae6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-21 / This research was carried through in São Paulo (SP) and had as objective to understand as men who had not coexisted the paternal presence had constructed the proper paternity. The interest for the subject appeared by means of the perception of the increase of monoparental families, commanded for women and of the amount of men who if had become parents without having had the paternal presence. Its specific objectives had been to understand the participation of the mother and/or another figure as mediating (s) in the situation of paternal absence; to understand which the easinesses and difficulties in the exercise of the paternity for men who had not coexisted the proper father; to understand as if constitutes the affective and emotional development of the son of absent father. One was about a qualitative research of exploratory level, characterized as Study of Collective Case, of which two men had participated who, today, they are parents, but that they had not coexisted the proper father. For the collection of data the half-structuralized interview was used and its end was requested to the participants who wrote a letter its parents. The results had shown that a common characteristic to the participants and, probably, decurrent in part of the paternal absence is the unreliability and the lack of belief in itself exactly. On the other hand, empty left by the lack of the father, revealed a fertile land so that the participants could construct social substitutes who gave sensible account and to this absence, as for example, the study / Essa pesquisa foi realizada em São Paulo (SP) e teve como objetivo compreender como homens que não conviveram com a presença paterna construíram a própria paternidade. O interesse pelo tema surgiu mediante a percepção do aumento de famílias monoparentais, chefiadas por mulheres e da quantidade de homens que se tornaram pais sem ter tido a presença paterna. Seus objetivos específicos foram compreender a participação da mãe e/ou outra figura como mediador(es) na situação de ausência paterna; compreender quais as facilidades e dificuldades no exercício da paternidade para homens que não conviveram com o próprio pai; compreender como se constitui o desenvolvimento afetivo e emocional do filho de pai ausente. Tratou-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa de nível exploratório, caracterizada como Estudo de Caso Coletivo, da qual participaram dois homens que, hoje, são pais, mas que não conviveram com o próprio pai. Para a coleta de dados foi utilizada a entrevista semi-estruturada e a seu final foi solicitado aos participantes que escrevessem uma carta a seus pais. Os resultados mostraram que uma característica comum aos participantes e, provavelmente, decorrente em parte da ausência paterna é a insegurança e a falta de crença em si mesmo. Por outro lado, o vazio deixado pela falta do pai, mostrou-se um terreno fértil para que os participantes pudessem construir substitutos sociais que dessem conta e sentido a esta ausência, como por exemplo, o estudo

Father absence and the introduction of a stepfather before menarche have been shown to contribute to the early onset of menarche. The present study analyzes the effects of father absence situations that tend to result on the onset of menarche. Presence of a related male in a father-absent homes is also considered as a protective factor for menarcheal onset. Participants consisted of 342 female students enrolled in undergraduate work at a southeastern university. The mean age of participants was 20.7 years. Participants completed a survey consisting of 12 questions pertaining to their family environment before menarche. Participants were asked to give their age at first menarche in years and months. Results indicted a significant difference in menarcheal age between those from homes where both biological parents were present and those where the biological father was absent before menarche. No other significant results were found. Implications for future research discussed.

This study bridges the gap in literature about the impact of father absence on female adult attachment and current stress levels. A sample of 666 female college students between the ages of 18 and 22 at the University of Kentucky was recruited to complete an online survey about their experience with their fathers and the effects on their attachment and stress levels, while assessing the age of their first sexual experience. Father absence seems to be a significant predictor of earlier sexual activity among females and anxious attachment styles, along with higher stress levels. When the father is absent from the home, females have sex earlier than when the father is present in the home. Females who experience father absence have higher anxious attachment levels and higher current stress levels. These findings inform therapists about the importance of recognizing attachment injuries when dealing with individuals and supports the need for mother and father involvement in a female’s life.

This qualitative phenomenological study examines the lived experiences of adult father-absent African American women to extrapolate from their stories the meaning they attached to the experience and to hear in their own words how they perceived the absence of their father shaped their lives and affected them socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and educationally. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom audio-conferencing with adult African American women who ranged in age from 20-62 years of age living in various parts of the U.S. The findings of this study revealed that father-daughter relationship bonds held a special meaning to each participant as most of them longed for the presence, protection and love of their fathers. According to the shared stories and perceptions of the participants, living without a father greatly affected the way they viewed the world, relationships with men, relationships with family members, and it had a significant impact upon their lives socially, emotionally, behaviorally and educationally. The women of this study reported that their relationships suffered because they did not have what they considered healthy male-female interactions as a model for their own relationships. This study also revealed that more research is needed regarding father absence and education. The findings of this study can possibly be used to encourage male relatives such as uncles, cousins, older brothers, and community leader to assume the role of social father provide male support, guidance and encouragement to father-absent young women in their families and communities. The findings of this study can also function as a catalyst to more in-depth discussions about the mental and emotional well-being of young Black women as well as the Black community to assure them that seeking mental and emotional support is nothing to be ashamed of.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Walter R. Schumm / Fathers, once deemed as “forgotten contributors to child development” (Lamb, 1975, p. 246), may provide more than just a bread winning role for their children. More studies have examined the effects of a father’s absence and involvement on his children, specifically among adolescents’ early sexual activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of father absence on young adults’ choices of cohabitation, marriage and divorce. The data for this analysis came from The February-March 2007 Social Trends Survey by the Pew Research Center, a nationally representative sample in the United States. This analysis selected 802 young adult respondents (ages 18-40 year old). Results support previous research that the two key factors leading to father absence are children whose parent never married or whose parents divorced. Father absence was associated with children's future cohabitation rates for the whole sample, but not when examined individually by gender, race or ethnicity. Higher marriage rates were associated with father-present homes among men and in the overall sample, but not for women or according to race or ethnicity. No associations were found between father absence and children's future divorce rates. Tracking young adults’ rates of marriage and divorce according to father absence and cohabitation (tables 4.4 through 4.9) found that young adults who had the combination of a father-present and did not cohabit had the lowest divorce rates. Future research should investigate the disparity in father-present homes between those who did and did not cohabit, father and child religiosity, and father involvement. Implications for family life education were also presented.