PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PATERNAL DEPRIVATION, FAMILIAL ANTECEDENTS, AND SUBSEQUENT FATHERING BEHAVIOR (MATERNAL, FATHER-ABSENCE, RETROSPECTIVE)
Abstract
The study investigated fathers' recollections of their father as psychologically available, psychologically unavailable, or physically absent, and their mother's behavior and attitudes in relation to their current paternal behavior. Subjects were 198 middle-class, Caucasian fathers of whom 160 were raised with fathers and 38 without. All had at least one son age 4-12. Fathers raised with fathers completed the PPAS, a researcher-developed measure of fathers' retrospective perceptions of their father as nurturant, supportive of self-expression, and encouraging competence. Cronbach's Alpha for the PPAS was .96. PPAS scores above the median represented fathers who recalled their father as psychologically available, while those below recalled them as psychologically unavailable. These two groups, along with the father-absent sample, were represented by a coded variable, paternal absence-availability. Subjects completed six researcher-developed measures of fathers' recollections of their mother's ego strength (MESI), employment status (FMES), overprotection (MOS), encouragement of masculine/instrumental behavior (MEI), attitudes toward the father (MAFI), and attitudes toward men (MAMI). Cronbach's Alpha for these measures ranged from .90 to .93. Fathers' reports of current fathering behavior were assessed by four researcher-developed measures of paternal; time available (PTAS), involvement in childrearing (PICS), nurturance (PNQ), and limit setting (PLSI). Cronbach's Alpha for these measures ranged from .85 to .95. Multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the contribution of paternal absence-availability and maternal measures in predicting the dependent fathering variables. Fathers who recalled their father as psychologically available were significantly more involved in childrearing (PICS), nurturance (PNQ), and limit setting (PLSI) than fathers who recalled their father as psychologically unavailable. Maternal measures made a significant additional contribution in predicting the dependent variables. Fathers' recollections of both their father's psychological availability and their mother's behavior and attitudes accounted for 11% of the variance in childrearing (PICS), 22% of the variance in nurturance (PNQ), and 19% of the variance in limit setting (PLSI). Suggestions for future research on psychological paternal deprivation/availability and parental antecedents of paternity were discussed. Implications for school psychologists included involvement in parent training and counseling, particularly, with fathers, single mothers, and students.
Subject Area
Social psychology
Recommended Citation
COLAROSSI, ANTHONY G, "PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PATERNAL DEPRIVATION, FAMILIAL ANTECEDENTS, AND SUBSEQUENT FATHERING BEHAVIOR (MATERNAL, FATHER-ABSENCE, RETROSPECTIVE)" (1985). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8600077.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8600077
