Father Presence,Family Structure,and Feelings of Closeness to the Father Among Adult African American Children

Abstract

Previous literature primarily defines father presence and absence in terms of the father's residence in the home. This definition may purport an exceedingly negative image of African American families. The present study, however, seeks to redefine father presence in the context of feelings of closeness to the father as well as frequency of father visitation. Results suggest that a considerable portion of African American nonresident fathers visit their children on a daily or weekly basis, while at the same time a substantial proportion rarely have contact with their offspring. African American adult children with nonresident fathers feel significantly closer to their fathers than do their White peers. African American adult children were more likely than were Whites to believe that their mothers supported their relationship with their father and to have positive perceptions of their parents' relationship with each other across all family configurations.

Keywords

African American family structure father presence parent-child relationship race

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