The determinants and influence of non-resident fathers' relationships with their adolescent children

English: This study examined the patterns of contact and involvement between adolescents and their nonresident fathers after divorce in an ethnically diverse sample. The data was analysed to determine the role of Lamb, Pleck and Levine’s (1986) three constructs in the involvement of non-resident fathers, i.e. interaction, availability and responsibility. The results indicated that the majority of male and female adolescents reported continued direct and indirect contact with their fathers, regardless of paternal remarriage and the lapse of time since the divorce. In measuring father involvement, the adolescents reported on four aspects of father involvement i.e. financial contributions, shared activities, communication and feelings of emotional closeness. The results on father involvement indicate that most fathers make contributions financially in terms of the payment of maintenance, school fees and pocket money. Adolescents further reported that they spent most of their time with their non-resident fathers engaging in leisure activities such as shopping and frequenting restaurants. Boys reported higher levels of communication and feelings of emotional closeness than girls. Overall, the study postulates that non-resident fathers play a less significant role in providing parental guidance to their children. The most important limitation of the research was indicated as the lack of empirical investigation of mother-child involvement. This study investigated the influence of non-resident fathers’ involvement in the well-being of their adolescent children after divorce. Guided by a systemic ecological framework on father involvement and utilising data from a representative sample of adolescents from intact and divorced families, father involvement was measured by means of the Hawkins Inventory of Father Involvement (IFI). Adolescents’ sense of well-being was measured by means of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The results obtained on the IFI indicat
Afrikaans: In hierdie studie is die patrone van kontak en betrokkenheid tussen adolessente en hul nie-residensiële vaders ná egskeiding in 'n etnies diverse steekproef ondersoek. Die data is gebruik om Lamb, Pleck en Levin (1986) se drie konstrukte van betrokkenheid van nie-residensiële vaders (interaksie, beskikbaarheid en verantwoordelikheid) te ondersoek. Die resultate toon dat die meerderheid van manlike en vroulike adolessente direkte en indirekte kontak met hulle vaders rapporteer het, nieteenstaande faktore soos hul vaders se hertroue en die verloop van tyd sedert hul ouers se egskeiding. Ten einde vaderbetrokkenheid te evalueer, het adolessente ten opsigte van vier konstrukte van vaderbetrokkenheid rapporteer: finansiële bydraes, deelname aan verskillende aktiwiteite, kommunikasie en gevoelens van verbondenheid. Dit blyk dat die meerderheid vaders finansieel ten opsigte van onderhoud, skoolfooie en sakgeld bydra. Die adolessente spandeer meestal tyd met hul vaders deur winkelsentrums en restaurante te besoek. Seuns het hoër vlakke van kommunikasie en emosionele geborgenheid met hul vaders as meisies gerapporteer. In die geheel gesien, blyk dit dat nie-residensiële vaders te kort skiet in die wyse waarop hulle ouerleiding aan hulle kinders bied. Die belangrikste tekortkoming van die studie is uitgewys as die gebrek aan 'n empiriese ondersoek met betrekking tot die moeder se betrokkenheid. In hierdie studie is die invloed van nie-residensiële vaders se ouerskapsbetrokkenheid op die welstand van hul adolessente kinders ondersoek. 'n Sistemies-ekologiese model van vaderbetrokkenheid is gebruik om die navorsing te rig. 'n Steekproef van adolessente uit intakte en geskeide gesinne is gebruik om vaderbetrokkenheid deur middel van die Hawkins Inventory of Father Involvement (IFI) te meet. Die adolessente se welstand is bepaal deur die Strengths and Difficulties Quesionnaire (SDQ). Die resultate van die IFI toon aan dat die adolessente uit geskeide gesinne hul vaders