The influence of father involvement during childhood on the emotional well-being of young adult offspring: a cross-sectional survey of students at a university in Botswana

Abstract

Africa is witnessing rapid changes in family structure with noticeable absence and non-involvement of fathers in child-rearing. This study investigated the influence of father involvement in child care on the emotional well-being of young adult offspring in a cross-sectional survey of 375 students (age: M = 21.05 ± 1.94) at a university in Botswana. The Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale and the Perception of Father Involvement Scale were used to assess emotional well-being and fathers’ involvement, respectively. T-tests, analyses of variance, and regression analyses were used to compute subpopulation differences and the influence of father involvement on emotional well-being. Only 38% of the students lived in a household with both parents, 70% indicated that they have a father figure (biological father, stepfather, uncles, and grandfathers), whereas, 30% of the students indicated that they had had no father figure. The female gender (β = .17, 95% CI = [.07, .27]), father availability (β = .23, 95% CI = [.06, .39]), and responsibility (β = .22, 95% CI = [.07, .27]) significantly and independently predicted emotional well-being. Significant differences were observed between biological father figures and no father figures and between other father figures and no father figure regarding emotional well-being. Father involvement, particularly the domains of availability and responsibility and having a father figure during childhood are associated with better emotional well-being in offspring.