How Time With a Father Relates to Child’s Sexual Health

Abstract

Relatively few studies have examined the fathers’ influence on their child’s sexual health and how it can be utilized in a practitioner setting. The research that has investigated the father–child relationship has been limited by confounding variables, discrepancy in terminology, and lack of diversity in samples. In reaction to this need, this study looked at the impact of both the presence of the father and the quality of the father’s relationship with their child on their child’s later sexual behaviors, attitudes, and relational satisfaction. Based on the results, recommendations are provided to therapists on how to further understand the relational aspects of the father–child relationship and how it might impact multiple levels of their child’s sexual health.