The Relationship Between Father/Child Contact and Emotional Well-Being Among Recently Divorced Fathers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the emotional well-being of recently divorced fathers and the amount of contact they have with their children. The emotional well-being of the recently divorced fathers was determined by measures of their self-esteem, depression, and divorce adjustment. Data were collected from 97 fathers in a Midwestern state who had been divorced less than seven months. The recently divorced fathers completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Center for Epidemiologie Studies Depression Scale, and the Fisher's Divorce Adjustment Scale. Findings indicated that those recently divorced fathers who had higher levels of father/child contact had significantly higher levels of emotional well-being than did recently divorced fathers with lower levels of father/child contact. Implications for mental health professionals, legal prof essionals, and policy makers were included.