|
news & events
25 January 2008
Dads Divorce (USA)
Study: Divorce Affects Father-Child Relations
By Allison Jackovitz
A team of Penn State (USA) researchers has discovered that in families
with divorced parents, the emotional distance is the greatest between teenagers
and their fathers, with repercussions affecting the children into their
college years.
Alan Booth, a sociology and human development professor, found that while
distancing increases between children and fathers after a divorce,
relationships between teens and their mothers are less affected.
Booth attributed these findings to the fact that fathers typically have
less communication and contact with children after divorce than mothers,
as mothers are usually awarded custody.
"Most children end up residing with their mother and are, therefore,
closer to their mother," he said.
Booth explained that while statistics show fathers have become more active
parents over the past few decades, they are usually less interested and
involved with children than mothers are.
"Even when both parents are present, there is a tendency for mothers to be
more involved with children, especially approaching and during teenage
years," Booth said. "Fathers tend to be more involved when children are
young while mothers tend to be consistently involved."
The person who leaves the household, typically the father, is at an
extreme disadvantage in preventing emotional distancing, as they have less
communication and contact with children, both of which are important
aspects of parent-teen relationships, Booth said.
Laura Davis (freshman-psychology) is a student with divorced parents who
experienced distancing with her father similar to that explained in
Booth's study.
"I live with my mum, so obviously I'm closer with her," Davis said. "It's
complicated because my dad never wants to stop by the house because my mum
is there."
When the father does have contact with his children, it is often in a
public setting such as a movie or a ball game, limiting the amount of
affection and spontaneous interaction that can occur between the parent
and child, Booth said.
"When we were younger, my dad used to call us and take us out to dinner,
but we were never really close to him just because he didn't live with
us," Davis said.
|
|
