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The effect of the Presence of a Father Figure on the Success of Adolescent Sons
It is indisputable that parents play a pivotal role in the development of their children. It
is ideal that both parents are actively involved in the life of their children and provide a valuable
adult role model, however in the world we live in today this is not always the case. As either
parent may be out of the picture for whatever reason the child’s life is altered in many ways. In
order to investigate such alterations, specifically on sons without a father figure to learn and
interact with, several studies focusing on the effect of the presence of a father figure will be
discussed. Many of these studies support the idea that the presence of a father figure in
adolescent sons’ lives will increase the son’s success in various aspects of life.
It is suggested that boys who lack a father figure struggle more with academic success
than do boys who possess a father figure. Children in fatherless homes earn lower reading and
vocabulary scores (Mulkey et al. 49). Fathers’ involvement with children has also been linked to
overall academic success (Cobb-Clark and Tekin 328). These findings lead us to believe that
Father Presence has a positive effect on children’s success in academia. However as studies
further examine these situations it is argued that lower GPAs, standardized test scores and
overall academic success can be attributed to economic and behavioral differences in fatherless
households (Mulkey et al. 62). While this observation may be true it still exemplifies the
importance of father figure presence as the causes for lower academic success still stem from
the lack of a father figure presence, whether it be his interactions with the children or the
additional income the father figure provides.
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Mental health is also an aspect of life that the presence of a father figure could affect.
Eirini Flouri and Ann Buchanan conducted a study on the progression of children without a
father figure, in which they questioned the children at three points throughout their lives, once
at age seven, again at age sixteen and yet again at age thirty three (65). This study found that
the presence of a father figure did not determine psychological maladjustment however found
that the presence of a father figure proved to play a protective role against psychological
maladjustment (Flouri and Buchanan 75). This protective role shown in a slight decrease in
psychological maladjustment in children who possessed a father figure from those who did not
possess a father figure. While father figure presence was not thought to accurately predict
psychological maladjustment as many fatherless children grow up to be healthy adults, the fact
that it proved to be a protective factor suggests that the presence of a father figure does
increase, though not overwhelmingly, the likelihood of good mental health in children.
The social success of adolescent sons is also suspected to be influenced by the presence
of a father figure. As a positive male role model would, in theory, provide an adolescent son
with an example of how social interactions should be handled, it is reasonable to believe that
the presence of a father figure would speed and overall increase social success. In Scelza’s
perhaps unorthodox study conducted on a group of indigenous hunter gatherers in Australia
known as the Martu Arborigines, she found evidence supporting such a claim (296). As Scelza
observed a ritual that signified the emergences of boys as men she found that those with a
father figure, be it the biological father or other, completed the ritual at a younger age and in
turn married and began a family at a younger age (299). While this study was not conducted on
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individuals of a modern society it still provides insight into the ability that a father figure
possesses to influence the social actions of adolescent sons.
Drug abuse and delinquency is largely thought to be a result of the lack of a father figure
presence. Studies such as that done by Cobb-Clark and Tekin proves this idea to be true.
“Adolescent boys who have a father figure in their life are significantly less likely to engage in
subsequent behavior” (Cobb-Clark and Tekin 336). This would seem to be obvious, since a
father figure serves in many cases as a disciplinary figure; however, in a similar study conducted
by Friedman, Ali, and McMurphy the opposite was found to be true as the sons of mother only
households reported less illegal activity than sons of two parent households (93). These
contradictory findings provide an interesting dilemma. Friedman, Ali, and McMurphy concede
in their study that the results were dependent on the response set of the subjects and that it
may be possible that the sons of mother only households simply failed to report illegal activity
and did not actually participate in less illegal activity (94).
The effects of the presence of a father figure range across a multitude of aspects of life,
so many that it would be near impossible to measure all of them. However when focusing on
the delinquency, academic success, social success, and mental health of the adolescents, the
presence of a father figure clearly increases the overall success of adolescent sons. Though the
evidence is not overwhelming and in many cases is minimal, it is existent and for the most part
suggests that a son with a present father figure benefits in many ways.
Works cited
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Cobb-Clark, Deborah, and Erdal Tekin. “Fathers and youths’ delinquent behavior.” Review of Economics
of the Household 12.2 (2013): 327-358. QuestPro. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
Flouri, Eirini, and Ann Buchanan. “The role of father involvement in children’s later mental health”
Journal of Adolescence 26.1 (2003): 63-78. Science Direct. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
Friedman, Alfred, Asad Ali, and Suzanne McMurphy. “Father Absence as a Risk Factor for Substance Use
and Illegal Behavior by Adolescent Sons.” Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse 8.2
(2009): 79-95. Taylor and Francis Online. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
Scelza, Brooke A. “Fathers' Presence Speeds the Social and Reproductive Careers of Sons.” Current
Anthropology 09.20 (2010): 295-303. JSTOR. Web. 20 Oct. 2015
Mulkey, Lynn, Robert L. Crain, and Alexander J. C. Harrington. “One-Parent Households and
Achievement: Economic and Behavioral Explanations of a Small Effect.” Sociology of Education
65.1 (1992): 48-65. JSTOR. Web. 20 Oct. 2015
Annotations:
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Source 1:
Cobb-Clark, Deborah, and Erdal Tekin. “Fathers and youths’ delinquent behavior” Review of Economics
of the Household 12.2 (2013): 327-358. QuestPro. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
History of the search:
This article was found using the VCU libraries portal then through the QuestPro Database. Search
terms used included Fathers, Youths, and Delinquency. This article addressed the effect of father
figures on the delinquency of youth which is a point of focus in my research paper making it an
ideal source.
Identification and Justification: We know this piece of work to be a Scholarly article for several
reasons including the fact that both authors have earned their doctorates and are affiliated with
universities, the article was published in the Review of Economics of the Household journal, and
the Article has a sufficient amount of references.
Summary:
In the scholarly article “Fathers and youth's’ delinquent behaviors” by Deborah CobbClark and Erdal Tekin, the issue of father presence and resulting youth delinquency is addressed
and discussed for other sociologists and individuals concerned with the effects of fathers on
youth delinquency. By applying an equation that accounts for many variables such as family
income, number of siblings, standard demographic controls (age, race, gender, etc.) and father
involvement with the results of a study on a sample of adolescents in both one and two parent
households obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health),
conducted by the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
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the researchers were able to obtain values for delinquency in the various groups observed. Add
Health contained several questions used to determine delinquent behavior including questions
of property crime, violent crime, selling drugs, and gang fights in the past 12 months. These
indications of delinquency were compared to father and mother involvement, family income,
aspects of family structure, and whether the adolescent lived with biological or step parents in
order to obtain data on the causes of delinquency. After examining the results focusing on the
tendency to participate in delinquent behaviors the study found a correlation between father
presence and son delinquency. It was found that the presence of the father and not so much
the involvement of the father played a role in sons’ delinquent behavior. The study also found
that father figure presence to have an effect on adulthood delinquency. When studying the
effect of father presence on daughters’ behaviors was not noticeably correlated with
delinquent behavior. The study also found a decreased tendency to participate in delinquent
behaviors as an adult when a male lived with his biological father. This article claims that the
presence of a father figure, and not the involvement or financial contributions of the father
figure decreases delinquent behaviors of sons both in youth and as an adult. This claim is
supported by the study done on the Add Health data.
Source 2:
Flouri, Eirini, and Ann Buchanan. “The role of father involvement in children’s later mental
health” Journal of Adolescence 26.1 (2003): 63-78. Science Direct. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
History of search: This article was found using the VCU portal then through the Science Direct
database. Search terms Father figure and children were used to locate this source. This
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article examined an interesting aspect of the effect of father figure presence being
mental health which applied well to my research paper.
Identification and Justification: This is a scholarly article as it was published by the Journal of
Adolescence, written by professors associated with universities, and contains a sufficient
number of references.
Summary
Eirini Flouri and Ann Buchanan argue that father involvement in adolescence has a
negative correlation with psychological maladjustments in adolescents’ adulthood in their
Scholarly article “The role of father involvement in children’s later mental health”, written in
the Journal of adolescence. This article is written primarily for psychologists and other scholars
concerned with the effects of a father figure. The argument is supported by a study conducted
based on data collected by the NCDS in the UK, consisting of responses from the mother and
teacher on father involvement, and responses from the adolescents on psychological distress.
Data compiled on subjects at age 7, 16, and 33 were analyzed for the study. After correlations
between father involvement at a young age and adult psychological distress at an older age the
study found father involvement to have a significant protective role against psychological
maladjustments in later years, though father involvement did not accurately predict
psychological maladjustment in later years. The study conceded because many of the more
disadvantaged participants were lost in later years the results may be biased against the more
extreme situations. The study may also be biased to mothers’ perception of father involvement
as the data came solely from the responses of mothers and teachers. As Flouri and Buchanan
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examine the effects of father figure presence on the mental health of adolescence they argue
that the presence of a father figure does not accurately predict psychological maladjustments
but did provide a valuable protective role against psychological distress later in life. This claim is
supported by a study done on data collected by the NCDS and provides insight into the values
of a father figure.
Source 3:
Friedman, Alfred, Asad Ali, and Suzanne McMurphy. “Father Absence as a Risk Factor for Substance Use
and Illegal Behavior by Adolescent Sons.” Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse 8.2
(2009): 79-95. Taylor and Francis Online. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
History of Search: This source was found using the Taylor and Francis online database searching terms
such as Father, absence and adolescence. This source addressed the effect of father figure
presence has on adolescent delinquency which correlated perfectly with my research question.
Identification and Justification: This source is a scholarly article based on the evidence that it was
written by individuals who have earned PhDs and are associated with universities, the article was
published by the Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse and contains a sufficient
number of references.
Summary:
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The scholarly article “Father absence as a risk factor for substance abuse and illegal
behavior by the adolescent sons” by Alfred Friedman, Asad Ali, and Suzanne McMurphy
explores the idea that a fatherless son is more likely to participate in illegal activities such as
substance abuse and drug trafficking. This article is intended for scholars and other
professionals concerned with the effect of a father figure on delinquency in adolescence. In
order to explore this topic a study was carried out on two groups of inner city court adjudicated
male adolescent referred by the Family Court of Philadelphia, the first in a mother only
household the second in a two parent household with a father figure, be it either a biological
father or a stepfather. After asking a series of questions to these young men including drug use
and drug trafficking questions four out of five comparisons reflected no correlation between
fatherless adolescents and delinquent acts but instead found the opposite to be true, that
those with only a mother reported less drug related activities. The article claims that this
skewed result could be due to a lower open communication score for those with only a mother
and in turn may have simply failed to report as much as those with both parents. The article
concluded that even considering the lack of open communication skills of the mother only
participants, no correlation could be made with the presence of a father figure and delinquent
behaviors. With the claim that father figure presence has no impact on adolescent delinquency
Friedman and company have provided a counter argument to most articles on the topic.
Source 4:
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Scelza, Brooke A. “Fathers' Presence Speeds the Social and Reproductive Careers of Sons.” Current
Anthropology 09.20 (2010): 295-303. JSTOR. Web. 20 Oct. 2015
History of Search: This article was found using the VCU search Portal then through the JSTOR database.
Search terms such Father, presence, and son were used.
Identification and Justification: This is a scholarly article based on the evidence that it is written by an
assistant professor at the University of California, published by the Current Anthropology journal
and has a sufficient number of references.
Summary:
In the scholarly article “Father's’ presence speeds the social and reproductive Careers of sons”,
published in “Current Anthropology”, by Brooke Scelza it is argued that the presence of a biological
father speeds the social and reproductive success of sons. The study is written to argue the importance
of a father figure in the social success of adolescent boys to human behavioral ecologists and other
scholars concerned with the effects of a father figure on adolescents. The study is based on data gained
on a group of indigenous hunter gatherers in Australia known as the Martu Arborigines. It focused on an
initiation ritual that includes the circumcision of teenaged boys. The ritual occurs annually and the
participation of young men is dependent on the decisions of elders and the ability for the boy to have a
close relative, often a father, collect the required resources and payment. Initiated men are given the
promise of a future wife and the ability to reproduce as well as other rights to respect. Three groups
were studied, the first focused on all relatives including father mother grandfather etc., the second
focused on fathers and father figures, the third on young men without a biological father. A strong
correlation was found between the presence of a father and the time of initiation thusly affecting time
of reproduction, suggesting that the presence of a father greatly increased the success of adolescence
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reproduction and social activities. Though not conducted on a modern population, this study reveals the
importance of a father figure across many different cultures.
Source 5:
Mulkey, Lynn, Robert L. Crain, and Alexander J. C. Harrington. “One-Parent Households and
Achievement: Economic and Behavioral Explanations of a Small Effect.” Sociology of Education
65.1 (1992): 48-65. JSTOR. Web. 20 Oct. 2015
History of Search: This article was found as it was cited in another article “The role of father involvement
in children’s later mental health” by Flouri and Buchanan. This article addressed the effects the presence
of a father figure and provided a counter argument in behavioral and economic effects. This counter
argument made it an ideal source for my research question.
Identification and Justification: This article is a scholarly article as it is written by professors who have
earned PhDs and are associated with universities, it was published by the journal Sociology of education
and has a sufficient number of sources.
Summary:
The scholarly article “One parent Households and Achievement: Economic and Behavioral
Effects of a small effect”, Published in Sociology of Education in 1992, by Lynn Mulkey, Robert
Crain, and Alexander Harrington argues that the decline in standardized test scores and GPAs
associated with one family homes can be attributed to a child's behavior and economic
opportunities to some extent. This article is intended to provide a counter argument to the idea
that academic success is dependent on the presence of both parents to scholars and other
individuals concerned with the effect of parents’ presence on children's’ academic success. A
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study was conducted accounting for low income homes and children with behavioral problems.
The study focused on groups who had either a two parent household, a father only household,
or a mother only household. While the children of one parent households do average lower
GPAs and standardized test scores, the difference can be explained by lower income of one
parent households and behavioral problems resulting from the leniency of one parent
households. The difference between Father only households and mother only households were
found to be only slightly different as after the elimination of confounding variables such as race
and economic opportunities father absent houses had no real effect and mother absent houses
only a small decline in academic performance. Though this source is slightly dated it serves to
provide a valuable view on the issue of father figure presence.
Reflective Memo
After the unit one project I considered three fitting topics for the unit two paper being:
gun rights in the United States, the effect of hunting at a young age on children, and the effect
of a father figure on the success of adolescents. After reviewing my options I decided on the
third option due mostly to my truly valued relationship with my own father. My research topic
remained the same through the entire project, beginning to end. The most beneficial sources
came from looking up referenced papers in the first couple of sources I found. These sources
proved to be well correlated with my topic though they did not come up with the search terms I
was using. I struggled with incorporating the evidence derived from the sources into a wellorganized paper and with simply grinding through what proved to be a massive and time
consuming project. If I had more time I would spend it searching for more fitting, and more
recent sources as the Mulkey source is slightly dated and the Scelza source is not conducted on
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the most preferable population for my research question. I would also spend more time
developing my argument and researching the counter arguments listed in the paper.