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Study suggests protective effect of boomerang fathering vs. total paternal absence

Female adolescents whose fathers cycled in and out of their lives during childhood had better depressive outcomes than those whose fathers were absent during childhood, according to recent findings.

“Previous research has suggested that stressful experiences, like family instability, father absence or stepfather presence, contribute to an adolescent experiencing depression,” Daphne Hernandez, PhD, of the University of Houston, said in a press release. “This is not what happened in the cases of these youth. Boomerang fathering served as a protective factor for female adolescent depression compared to female adolescents who experienced instability but not boomerang fathers.”

Daphne Hernandez

To assess effects of experiencing a biological father exiting and entering the home because of breaking up and repartnering with a child’s mother, defined by researchers as boomerang fathering, researchers analyzed data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (n = 3,731).

Female adolescents exposed to boomerang fathering reported significantly lower depressive symptoms at age 18 years, compared with female adolescents exposed to unstable, nonboomerang fathering (P < .05).

Similarly, female adolescents with stable home environments reported significantly lower depressive symptoms, compared with female adolescents exposed to unstable, nonboomerang fathering (P < .001).

Boomerang fathering was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms among male adolescents.

Cassandra Dorius

Further, the association between increased maternal depressive symptoms and youth depressive symptoms was significant for male but not female adolescents. Depressive symptoms were significantly higher among male adolescents whose mothers reported increased depressive symptoms, compared with male adolescents whose mothers did not report increase symptoms (P < .001).

“We're finding a new way that families might support their children. Even though the family has gone through some really bad times, having the dad come back has proven to be positive,” Cassandra Dorius, PhD, of Iowa State University, said in the release. – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: Please see the full study for a list of all authors’ relevant financial disclosures.