Example research essay topic: Absent Fathers And The Effects On Children - 2,548 words

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Absent Fathers and the Effects on Children Section I Introduction and Statement of the Problem Background and Context Children with absent fathers are reported to be the most vulnerable and problematic children (Arendell, 1993; Garry, 1997; Wark, 2000; Parker, 1991). They often have problems both in school and at home (Balcom, 1998; Fagan, 1999), due to behavioral and educational problems (Bryant, 1997). The number of families with absent fathers has increased significantly (from 0. 57 million in 1971 to 1. 6 million families in 1996) (Brown et al, 2001). Over 2 / 8 million children in the United States live in lone parent families, where the families with absent fathers make up about 92 per cent (Brown et al, 2001). While children living in the families where two parents are present, report positive emotionally psychological environment (Coltrane et al, 1998; Corner, 1991; Lansky, 1992), children with absent fathers report to lack emotional stability, as absent fathers negatively influence child's activity, academic performance, attitude to the future, and the level of self-appraisal (Goldberg, 1995; Herzog et al, 1971; Phares, 1992; Sills, 1995), to mention a few. Purpose Statement The purpose of the present study is to examine data concerning the phenomenon of absent fathers in children, and to prove the hypothesis that absent fathers are conductive to a wide range of negative and unfavorable factors having negative impact on psychological, physical, moral and ethical development in children with absent fathers due to various deviance's and pathological aberrations in psychological and psychosocial aspects of the child's image of 'the self' as a personality, as well as the attitude to the parents of a child with absent father in comparison with children in families where two parents are present.

Research Questions Under the present study the research questions are whether absent fathers have negative impact on child's development, and whether the attitude to the parents of children with absent fathers differs from that of children in families where two parents are present. Research Design The research will comprise of two stages the first stage will be aimed to diagnose the childrens attitude to their parents (both in the families with absent fathers, and the families, where both parents are present). During the first stage the method of diagnostics of the attitude will be used, as well as the method of family drawing). The second stage of the research will be aimed to diagnose the level of childrens self-appraisal (the methods of self-description, and the method of Demo-Rubinstein). After the experiment is completed, the data will be analyzed, evaluated, and the hypothesis then will be finally verified. Definitions of Key Terms, Concepts and Variables Absent fathers - non-resident or absent fathers, more or less temporary absent from their children, either because of divorce, the breakdown of the relationships of unmarried cohabiting couples with children, separation of married couples with children, non-marital births, or due to hospitalization, active service in the armed forces, leaving home to find work, or imprisonment.

Child development all aspects of child growth and development from the childs birth until the time child reaches maturity (adolescence). Child development includes intellectual skills, sociological and psychological aspects of childs growth, as well as the complex interaction between stage-by-stage development and the process of socialization in general. Assumptions and limitations The present study is aimed to prove validity of the assumption that the children with absent fathers are exposed to the range of negative factors influencing their psychological, physical, moral and ethical development due to various deviance's and pathological aberrations in psychological and psychosocial aspects of the child's image of 'the self' as a personality as well as the assumption that the attitude of such children to their parents is different if compared to the children brought up in the families where two parents are present. There are limitations of the study, as the selection of the subject for study and experiment is not random and, therefore, the results of the study cannot be generalized to the larger number of children. This can be explained by the fact that the number of the subjects for study (children and their parents) is quite small.

Moreover, the quality of collected data is considerably dependent on the researcher's skills, as these methods heavily rely on interpersonal communication with the subjects for study. Nevertheless, the data obtained in the result of the study will be reliable enough to provide a generalized overview of the research problem and to prove or refute the research hypothesis. Section II Methodology Introduction Children in families with absent fathers are more vulnerable compared to the children in families, where two parents are present. Self-appraisal in children with absent fathers is quite low, as these children suffer from their mothers emotional crisis, as well as her attempts to replace the role father is supposed to play, as mother often tries to adhere to strict educational and behavioral strategies, while neglecting traditional mothers traits of character, such as care, maternal love and attitude, and tolerance to children. At the same time, such change in behavior has negative impact on childs self-esteem, sense of self-reliance, and positive self-appraisal in general. The aim of the study is to prove the following assumptions: absent fathers have negative impact on their childrens development, as well as negatively impact childrens self-appraisal.

Researcher's Philosophy The study acknowledges the significance of the present research, thus defining the following research tasks: to examine emotional and psychological health in children with absent fathers and the families where two parents are present; to examine self-appraisal in such children, to compare objective and expected levels of self-appraisal, to define the difference between the childrens attitude to their parents in both types of the families, to define and compare the way how children position themselves, as well as childrens image of the self in both types of the families, and to define the mechanisms of compensation and psychological protection in children with absent parents and the children, living in families, where both parents are present. Research Design Model The research will be divided into two parts: the analysis of emotional health in children with absent parents and the children, living in families, where both parents are present, and self-appraisal in children. Measures and Data Collection Procedures Under stage 1, the researchers will form experimental group of 100 children, where 50 percent of children will be selected from the families with absent fathers, and 50 percent will be selected from the families where both parents are present. The proportion of males and females will be equal (group 1 25 males and 25 females; group 2 - 25 males and 25 females, correspondingly). The parents will also take part in the research, in order to achieve the most efficient results. Therefore, there will be 50 lone mothers (group 1), and 50 mothers and 50 fathers (control group 2).

The method of family drawing will be used to examine the childs emotional health. As the title runs, children will be offered to draw their families, and the researchers, then, will examine their drawings accordingly. During the evaluation of the results, the researchers should examine whether the children's drawings depict all members of their families, or whether somebody is missing (this may account for family conflicts, negative emotional attitude, etc). The drawings, where the child portrayed the members of his family but failed to draw himself, may serve as the signal for lack of feeling of community. Children with absent fathers may expose the tendency to separate family members from each other, as an indicator of the sense of alienation and exclusion. Such children may tend not to finish the drawing, or to fail depicting the members of their families in details, as if to show the sense of alienation or lack of community.

The drawings of children living in families where two parents are present, on contrary, tend to finish their drawings, and to draw the members of their families together, and in details, thus showing the feeling of community, and absence of family conflicts. The method used to diagnose the attitude of children to their parents will imply questionnaire that will be aimed to examine parental attitude (cooperation, acceptance/ negligence, symbiosis, control, response to child's failures and wrongful acts, etc). The data will be evaluated with the Mann-Whitney method of intergroup comparison. Under stage 2, the same control groups will be examined (100 children, where 50 percent of children will be selected from the families with absent fathers, and 50 percent will be selected from the families where both parents are present). The second stage of the experimental research will use Demo-Rubinstein method to evaluate self-appraisal in children, and the method of children compositions in the form of self-descriptions. Demo-Rubinstein method will allow to conduct psychological diagnostics in compliance with the following criteria: height (emotional background), emotional stability, the degree of accuracy, criticality and exacting ness, satisfaction, optimism, Integrity of conscious and unconscious levels of self-appraisal, consistency and inconsistency, maturity and immaturity (as to values), compensatory mechanisms (presence/ absence), problems, and compensations.

Prior to the participation in the experiment, the researchers will talk with each child to prepare him/ her emotionally and psychologically. The tests will be confidential. The children then will be offered to use the following sample scale (see Picture 1 - Sample Scale (Demo-Rubinstein technique) with scales drawn on it and were offered to rate their own self-satisfaction, optimism, and self-appraisal by marking on the scale their actual position in terms of the parameters, and by marking on the given scale their desired position. Picture 1 Sample Scale (Demo-Rubinstein technique) Self-satisfaction and optimism scales show the correlation of indexes (the child's sincerity and integration of conscious/ unconscious levels of childs self-appraisal are reached, in case indirect levels and direct self-appraisal coincides).

The obtained data will be then analyzed and evaluated in accordance with either Spearmans method of range correlation, or the method of factor analysis. Scales will be used to analyze and evaluate the obtained information. Each answer will be written in points (as the length of each scale is 100 mm, the points will be written in mm, correspondingly). Then the levels of intention and self-appraisal will be defined, and the index of discrepancy will be calculated, as it will be between these two levels. 60 - 89 points will account for the objective level of intentions, while 90 - 100 points will be the indicator of the child's non-objectivity, and the level below 60 points will be the indicator of the child's low self-appraisal and underdeveloped level of intentions. The level of self-appraisal will be as follows 45 - 74 points objective result, 75 - 100 very high, and 45 and less low self-appraisal. Childrens compositions (self-descriptions) will be analyzed and evaluated as follows: the compositions will be examined for categories and the researchers then will complete a figurative analysis of these categories to define the differences between two categories of children.

The following table will be used to facilitate the analysis: Categories Children with absent fathers Children with both parents present Absolute % Absolute % Childs name/ age Childs social status Childs parents name/ age Childs parents social status Positive self-attitude Child mentions others having positive attitude towards him/ her Childs self-condemnation/ guilt Childs positive attitude to school Popularity Family relationships Category We Future intentions/ desires/ dreams Hobby mentioned Positive attitude to pets Limitations of the Research Design The limitations of research design mainly account for insufficient number of participants. In addition, as the experiments involve interpersonal communication between the subjects for study and the researchers, the quality of collected data can be challenged. Expected Findings Under the present study the following results are expected: the experimental study is expected to prove and add value to the research hypothesis that absent fathers are conductive to a wide range of negative and unfavorable factors having negative impact on psychological, physical, moral and ethical development in children with absent fathers due to various deviance's and pathological aberrations in psychological and psychosocial aspects of the child's image of 'the self' as a personality, as well as the attitude to the parents of a child with absent father in comparison with children in families where two parents are present. Ethical Issues The process of gaining research approval will evidently add to the time required to create the research strategy, and, obviously, will prove to be a major hurdle to the experiment. The approval should be gained in order to exclude vulnerable children and to devise the procedures so, in order not to harm the feelings and not to disturb children with absent fathers emotionally.

The advance letters and information should be introduced to the children and their families participating in the experiments before they commit themselves to the experiment in order to reduce potential negative consequences to minimum. Summary The present study is designed to examine and prove the assumption that absent fathers are conductive to a wide range of negative and unfavorable factors having negative impact on psychological, physical, moral and ethical development in children with absent fathers due to various deviance's and pathological aberrations in psychological and psychosocial aspects of the child's image of 'the self' as a personality, as well as the attitude to the parents of a child with absent father in comparison with children in families where two parents are present. The study comprises of two stages, where the first stage diagnoses the childrens attitude to their parents, and the second one diagnoses the level of childrens self-appraisal. References Arendell, T. (1993). After divorce: Investigations into father absence.

Gender and Society (6), 562 - 586. Balcom, D. A. (1998). Absent fathers: Effects on abandoned sons.

Journal of Mens Studies, 6, 283296 Brown, B. V. , Michelle, E. A. , Halle, T. G. , & Moore, K. A. (2001, June). Fathers activities with their kids.

Washington, DC: Child Trends Bryant, M. (1997). The prodigal father: Reuniting fathers and their children. New York: Clarkson Potter. Child Trends. (2002). Charting parenthood: A statistical portrait of fathers and mothers in America. Washington, DC: Author.

Retrieved from web Coltrane, S. , & Parker, R. D. (1998). Reinventing fatherhood: Toward an historical understanding of continuity and change in mens family lives. Philadelphia: National Center on Fathers and Families. Parker, G. (1991).

Absent fathers -- lost sons. New York: Shambhala Publications. Fagan, J. (1999). Predictors of father and father figure involvement in pre-kindergarten Head Start. National Center on Fathers and Families. Retrieved from web Garry, E.

M. (1997). Responsible fatherhood (Fact sheet). Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Goldberg, J. (1995).

Reconnecting missing fathers to their children. Family Therapy News (26), 18 - 29. Herzog, E. , & Studio, C. (1971). Boys in fatherless families.

U. S. Government Printing Office. DHEW Publication No. [OCD], 72 - 33.

Lansky, M. (1992). Fathers who fail: Shame and psychopathology in the family system. Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press. Phares, V. (1992).

Where's poppa? The relative lack of attention to the role of fathers in child and adolescent psychopathology. American Psychologist (47), 656 - 664. Sills, A. (1995). Absent fathers, single mother: Clinical interpretation in political context. Family Issues, 33 - 34.

Wark, L. (2000). Young Boys with Absent Fathers: A Child-Inclusive Intervention. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 11 (3), 63 - 68.

Research essay sample on Absent Fathers And The Effects On Children