Parent-Child Relations and Children’s Psychological Well-Being

This study explores the unique influence of fathers on adolescents’ psychological well-being. Analyses are based on a nationally representative sample (Add Health) of students in Grades 7 through 12 living in intact homes. Results of multivariate analyses reveal that the father-adolescent relationship has an independent impact on adolescents’ psychological well-being beyond the mother-adolescent relationship. Comparatively, the magnitude of effect was similar for mothers and fathers on sons’ and daughters’ well-being. Examining the dynamic nature of parent-adolescent relations through time revealed that adolescents have more volatile relations with fathers than with mothers. Changes in adolescent’s satisfaction with the father-adolescent relationship significantly influence fluctuations in son’s and daughter’s psychological well-being; this effect persists after controlling for changes in mother-adolescent relationships. These findings underscore fathers’ unique direct contribution to their children’s psychological well-being.