Perceived Father Attachment and Externalizing-Internalizing Behavioral Problems among Left behind Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Family Functioning and Mother Nurturance

Background. A father and adolescent relationship is one of the most significant andinfluential relationships in an adolescent’s life. Father’s absence due to migration and itsresulting consequences have been little addressed In the academic arena of south Asiancontext specially in Pakistan . This study was designed to examine whether the adolescent’sperception of migrant father attachment is associated with externalizing-internalizing problemsand further investigated mediating and moderating process underlying this effect.Method. A cross sectional study was conducted in which 400 left-behind adolescents, aged 13to 18, girls (n= 174) boys, (n= 226) were recruited from different schools and colleges of twodistricts, Rawalpindi and Poonch Azad Kashmir. Data was completed through self-reportmeasures.Result. Results of the study revealed that migrant-father attachment, family functioning andmother nurturance are negatively linked to externalizing-internalizing problems. Moreover,family functioning significantly mediated the relationship between migrant-father attachmentand externalizing-internalizing problems. In addition, the results revealed that mothernurturance significantly moderated the conditional indirect effects of father attachment onexternalizing-internalizing problem through family functioning among left-behind adolescents.Moreover, significant mean differences were found between age and family system onexternalizing-internalizing problems.Conclusion. The study findings highlight the importance of attachment between migrantfathers and adolescents to enhance their family functioning and consequently to decrease theirexternalizing-internalizing problems in the absence of their father.