Perceptions of Father Involvement on Adult Psychological Well-Being

1. Logo Perceptions of Father Involvement on Adult Psychological Well-Being Conducted by Olivia Lane and Shakeria Burney; Supervised by Hema Mason, Ph. D. Albany State University Abstract Results Results Hypothesis • The goal of the study is to determine the effect father involvement has on adult psychological well-being. • Studies show strong and significant relations between father involvement and social, emotional, physical and psychological we-being in samples of children and adolescents. • The current study explores these relationships among a sample of adults over the age of 18. • It is predicted that the data will support previous research that shows a relation between fathers’ involvement and psychological well-being. • Further, it is predicted that the relations between these variables will support the notion that the father’s impact on the child’s developmental outcomes are indeed stable over time Conclusion Introduction • The preliminary results conclude that there is a significant inverse relationship between desired father involvement and psychological well-being. • Additionally, the predictor variables reveal that father-child bonding is stronger with adults who had nurturing fathers. • Adult children with strong bonds to mothers, also have unique strong bonds to fathers. • Fathers play a fundamental role in their young and adolescent children’s development and provide great opportunities for them as well (Roggman, Boyce, Cook, Christiansen, & Jones, 2004). • Furthermore, findings from Lamb’s (2000) review and Marks and Palkovitz’s (2004) analysis on fathering types, all suggest that there are a myriad of paternal behaviors and characteristics such as warmth, caring, providing emotional, physical and financial support that aid in the healthy and positive outcomes of children. • The impact of father warmth and involvement on their adult children, however, is an aspect of father involvement that needs to be developed more in fathering research. • Further the dearth of research in this area examining the impact of father involvement on adult psychological well-being speaks to the existing gaps in this area and underscores the need for further research. Discussion • Thus far, the current study supports hypothesis number one which predicts a significant relationship between father involvement and psychological well-being. • The results are indicative of an analysis of 50 participants out of 300 participants. • The current results are preliminary. • Therefore, it is expected that there will be an even stronger relation between fathers and adult children across all variables. References • Lamb, M. E. (1976b). Interactions between 8-month-old children and their fathers and • mothers. In M. E. Lamb (Ed.), The role of the father in child development (pp. 1-63). Madison, WI: John Wiley. • Lamb, M. E. (2000). The history of research on father involvement: an overview. Marriage & Family Review, 29(2/3), 23-42. • Marks, L., & Palkovitz, R. (2004). American fatherhood types: the good, the bad, and the uninterested. Fathering, 2(2), 113-129. • Roggman, L. A., Boyce, L. K., Cook, G. A., Christiansen, K., & Jones, D. (2004). Playing • with daddy: social toy play, early head start, and developmental outcomes. Fathering, 2(1), 83-108. Methods & Materials Participants • N = 50 • Males 13 (26 %) • Females 37 (74 %) Measures • Father Involvement Scale (Hawkins & Palkovitz, 1999) • The Nurturing Father Scale (Finley, 1998) • Parental Bonding Instrument (Parker, Tupling, and Brown, 1979) • Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being (Ryff, 1989) Acknowledgements • Center for Undergraduate Research • Title III Funding                                   