Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion
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Data: Compared with peers who did not have a paternal role
model, adolescent black males who identified their father as their
role model had higher grade point averages and higher expectations
to graduate high school and were truant less often...(more) Recent research underscores the important role fathers play in healthy adolescent development. A 2003 article in Journal of Adolescent Research finds that, compared with peers who did not have a paternal role model, adolescent black males who identified their father as their role model had higher grade point averages and higher expectations to graduate high school and were truant less often. Similarly, a 2003 article in the Journal of Marriage and Family finds that girls who identify their biological father as their primary father figure report significantly fewer depressive symptoms than girls with an alternative father figure. These findings and others suggest that Dad deserves a word of thanks this Father’s Day. |
Other
findings on fathers:  Even when controlling for differences in family background, father absence was associated with the likelihood that adolescent girls will be sexually active and become pregnant as teenagers...(more) Frequency of church attendance is a stronger predictor of paternal involvement in one-on-one activities with children than employment and income, and its effect is comparable to that of race, ethnicity, and education...(more) |
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| The Heritage Foundation's familyfacts.org catalogs social science findings on the family, society and religion gleaned from peer-reviewed journals, books and government surveys. Serving policymakers, journalists, scholars and the general public, familyfacts.org makes social science research easily accessible to the non-specialist. | ||
| Family
Research Experts: Pat Fagan William H. G. FitzGerald Research Fellow in Family and Cultural Issues Robert Rector Senior Research Fellow, Domestic Policy Studies Jennifer Marshall Director, Domestic Policy Studies For Interviews call Media Relations at (202) 675-1761 |
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Resources
Events:Religious Practice and Civic Life: What the Research Says October 4, 2007 |