Father-absent women: Self-concept and modes of relating to men

Four groups of college-age women were used to determine the relationship between absence of father in childhood and adult self-concept and interpersonal relationships with men. Groups consisted of 15 father-present subjects who came from intact homes; 15 father-absent (FA) subjects with no older brothers who experienced the death of their father early in life; 15 FA subjects with no older brothers who experienced father loss due to divorce; and 12 FA subjects with one or more older brothers whose parents were divorced. The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and a self-report questionnaire of modes of relating to men were the dependent variable measures. Results revealed no significant differences among groups in most areas of self-concept or interpersonal relationships with both older and age-peer men. Only in social self-concept and nurturance behavior with age-peer men were significant differences observed. Thus, only partial support of the hypotheses of differences was obtained. Reasons for the departure between earlier and present results are proposed.This article is based on a master's of arts thesis completed by the first author (now at the University of Utah) under the direction of the second author.