Does the non-residential parent matter?

Does the non-residential parent matter? On the link between parenting and self-esteem Kim Bastaits, Koen Ponnet, Dimitri Mortelmans

Outline of presentation • Overview of literature • Research questions • Method • Results • Conclusions • Further research

1. Overview of literature • Parental divorce  (-) well-being child (Amato, 2000;Amato & Keith, 1991;Hetherington & Stanley-Hagen, 1999;Lansford, 2009) • Mostly focus on residential parent & 1 family type  now focus on residential and non-residential parent  now focus on different family types • Mostly negative indicators  now positive indicator (self-esteem) • Most important mediator: parental involvement 3 types (Lamb e.a., 1987): • Engagement • Availability • Responsibility

1. Overview of literature • Involvement of NR parent (+) well-being child(King, 1994; King & Sobolewski, 2006; Simons e.a., 1994; Stewart, 2003)  quality over quantity • So focus on parental engagement(Lamb e.a., 1987) = Parenting style • 2 dimensions: support and control(Baumrind, 1971; Maccoby & Martin, 1983)

How does the non-residential parent contribute to the well-being of the child? •  controlled for parenting style of the residential parent • Does contact with the NR parent matter? •  comparison between joint custody and non-residential parents •  controlled for and interaction with contact with non-residential parent 2. Research questions

2. Research questions Background variables of parents and child Parenting style residential parent Self-esteem child H1 Parenting style non-residential parent H2 Contact with non-residential parent

3. Method: sample • Preliminary data from “Divorce in Flanders” (DiF)  multi-actor multi-method study • This research used a subsample of the DiF-data (N=436) • 1 Child between 10 and 18 year (contact with both parents) • 1 parent (with information on both parents) • Divided into 5 family types • Married parents (N=138) • Joint custody (N=91) • Mother= residential parent & father= non-residential parent (N=148) • Father= residential parent & mother= non-residential parent (N=21) • Both parents are non-residential (N=5) • Group 4 & 5 are too small to include in our analyses • Final sample N=377

3. Method: variables • Background variables of both parents (parent reports) • Age • Educational level (lower secundary or lower, higher secundary, higher education) • New partner: yes/no? • Background variables of child (child reports) • Gender • Age • Duration since divorce • Independent variables (child reports) • Perceived parenting style of both parents  subscale support & subscale control (PSI II by Darling & Toyokawa, 1997) • Contact with non-residential parent • Dependent variable (child reports) • Self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, 1965)

4. Results: descriptive analysis • Difference in self-esteem? • All children = high self-esteem • No significant difference between family type • Girls have lower self-esteem than boys (except in joint custody) • Link between parenting style and self-esteem • Support mother & father (+) self-esteem child • No correlation between self-esteem and control mother/father • Link between contact and parenting style • NR father less support & control than married or co-parent fathers • more contact with NR father (+) more support NR father • No effect for control NR father

4. Results: Regression analysis

Parenting style NR parent *contact with NR parent • No significant effect in regression model • Effect of support NR father stays 4. Results: Interaction effect

5. Conclusions Does the NR parent matter? • Yes, the NR parent matters: Support NR father  (+) self-esteem child  why not with other family types (effect disappears in married family)? • Contact with NR father no (indirect) effect in expected direction (see King, 1994; King & Heard,1999) In all family types: • Support mother  (+) self-esteem child • Control of mother/father: no effect on self-esteem child

6. Further research Why support father only important if father is non-residential? • Conflict hypothesis: conflict higher when parents have more contact  lower self-esteem? • No effect in 3 family types of conflict • Effect of support father does not appear in joint custody & married families • no explanation • Hidden effect of father-child closeness? • No effect in 3 family types • Effect of support NR father does not disappear • no explanation

6. Further research • Same sex hypothesis: parents raise boys and girls differently? Married: support mother  (+) self-esteem boys Joint custody: support mother  (+) self-esteem girls R –NR: support mother  (+) self-esteem boys & girls support father  (+) self-esteem girls • No explanation • Opposite model? Positive effect of self-esteem child on NR father parenting style (Hawking, Amato & King, 2007) • Self-esteem child  (+) support of NR father ** R²=0,120 (lower than former model R²= 0,211) - Self-esteem child no effect on control of NR father

6. Further research • Joint custody and married type more alike?  not quality above quantity but quantity and then quality? (King, 1994; King & Sobolewski, 2006) Could be: see interaction effect + no effect in joint custody  Why? quality important with feeling of “abandonment”? Used items from BAS-4(Boss, Greenberg, & Pearce-McCall, 1990) - Since the divorce, I find it more difficult to talk to my father about things I need from him (money, time, advice). Item  (-) self-esteem (not significant) Support father  (-) item (not significant) Item*support father  (-) self-esteem (not significant) - In both of my parents’ homes, I feel comfortable, like I belong. Item  (+) self-esteem* Support father  (+) item* Item*support father (+) self-esteem (not significant)

Does the non-residential parent matter? On the link between parenting and self-esteem. kim.bastaits@ua.ac.be

3. Method: sample

4. Results: background variables

4. Results: Interaction effectcontact with NR father*parenting style NR father

4. Results: Interaction effectgender of child*parenting style mother

6. Further research: conflict

6. Further research: closeness

6. Further research Other indicators of well-being • Positive indicator: satisfaction with life • Negative indicator: psycho-somatic complaints

Does the non-residential parent matter?