Father Involvement and the Self-Esteem of Children and Adolescents

SynopsisRecent theoretical and research perspectives have emphasised the importance of the father in child development. The present study examined the correlations between children’s self-esteem and measures o f the father-child and mother-child relationship. Data were collected f r om a random sample of primary and secondary school children in Victoria. Results indicated that in intact families, relationships with both mothers and fathers were associated with children's self-esteem. In stepfamilies, relationships with both mothers and stepfathers were associated with children’s self-esteem. In one-parent families, the mother-child relationship was associated with children's self-esteem, but the influence of noncustodial fathers was weak.