Paternal Psychological Well-being After Union Dissolution: Does Involved Fatherhood Have a Protective Effect?

Abstract

Although the attention scholars have paid to the question of how the involvement of fathers affects the well-being of their children in post-separation families has increased tremendously in recent years, the question of how fathers’ involvement affects their own well-being has been hardly examined. Using data from the cross-sectional survey “Fathering after Union Dissolution,” which was conducted in Lithuania in 2016 (N = 1225), we looked at the extent to which the involvement of fathers with their non-resident children (contact frequency, relationship quality, payment of child support, and the quality of the co-parenting relationship with the mother) was associated with their psychological well-being (depressive feelings and general life satisfaction). Our multiple regression results indicated that the self-assessed quality of the father’s relationship with the child was the most important factor contributing to paternal psychological well-being: i.e., the better the relationship quality, the less likely a father was to report having depressive feelings, and the more likely he was to report having a high level of general life satisfaction. However, while making regular child support payments was found to be associated with a lower likelihood of having depressive feelings, it was not shown to be associated with having a high level of general life satisfaction. Contrary to our expectations, we found that the frequency of contact with the non-resident child and the quality of the co-parenting relationship with the mother did not affect paternal psychological well-being. Accordingly, we concluded that the protection provided by involved fatherhood after union dissolution is not universal, but instead depends on the nature of the involvement.

Perceived maternal disapproval of friends: How mothers shape and respond to child and friend adjustment problems

“…Child development in Lithuania resembles that in other homogeneous European communities (Kaniušonytė and Žukauskienė, 2018), although some of the mothers in the current study were raised when the country was part of the Soviet Union, during a time when obedience was a priority (Gorlizki and Khlevniuk 2020). Most Eastern European countries still report higher levels of "traditional" parenting, compared to their Western European counterparts (Maslauskaitė and Steinbach, 2020). The extent to which traditional parenting encompasses friendship disapproval is not clear.…”

The relation between joint physical custody, interparental conflict, and children's mental health

“…In accordance with these assumptions, previous research has found significant differences in the overall adjustment of custodial and noncustodial fathers, as "[t]he presence of children appears to be a stabilizing force in the adjustment of custodial fathers, lessening detrimental effects and making them remarkably similar to their married counterparts" (Stewart & Schwebel 1986: 61-62). Moreover, noncustodial fathers have been found to fare, on average, worse than custodial parents on several health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, emotional health, and life satisfaction (Evenson & Simon 2005;Maslauskaite & Steinbach 2020;Stewart & Schwebel 1986). Similarly, in a sample of recently divorced fathers, fathers with either full physical custody or joint physical custody were found to have significantly higher levels of emotional well-being than, for example, noncustodial fathers (Bokker 2006).…”

The association between joint physical custody and children’s mental health. Do children’s experiences of parental loyalty conflicts moderate the relationship?

“…For fathers, having either no contact or only limited contact with their children, a poor fatherchild relationship, and the perceived inability to fulfil normative expectations regarding their parental role may lead to a substantial decline in well-being (Evenson & Simon, 2005;Leopold, 2018;Leopold & Kalmijn, 2016). Consistent with these considerations, research has found that non-custodial fathers fare, on average, worse than custodial fathers on measures of depression, anxiety, emotional health and life satisfaction (Evenson & Simon, 2005;Maslauskaite & Steinbach, 2020;Stewart & Schwebel, 1986). In contrast, fathers with full physical custody or joint physical custody appear to have significantly higher levels of emotional well-being than, for example, non-custodial fathers (Bokker, 2006).…”