Nonresident father involvement and child self-esteem after divorce in Spain

Abstract

Este trabajo pretende (1) estudiar la implicación del padre no residente tras el divorcio y, (2) analizar si esta se relaciona con la autoestima infantil. Se entrevistaron a 83 madres divorciadas y 96 niños y niñas de Sevilla (España). Estos tenían entre 6 y 14 años (M = 9.21; SD = 1.94). Se accedió a las familias a través de las escuelas. Los resultados mostraron heterogeneidad en la implicación del padre no residente: la frecuencia de contactos variaba entre los que no tenían relación con él y los que lo veían semanal o diariamente; el 88% valoraba positivamente la relación con su padre; el 38.5% pernoctaba con él; el 80.2% de los padres no participaba en las decisiones de sus hijos e hijas; y el 46,8% no pagaba la pensión establecida por el juez. Los resultados indicaron que los niños y niñas presentaban una buena autoestima (M = 2.96; SD = 0.53). Finalmente, mostraron una relación significativa entre la autoestima infantil y la calidad de la relación padre-hijo (F(1,73) = 5.92, p <0.01). Estos resultados ofrecen claves para mejorar la autoestima infantil tras el divorcio parental, considerando el papel que juega sobre la misma la implicación del padre no residente.

This study seeks (1) to study nonresident father involvement and (2) analyze whethernonresident father involvement is related to children´s self-esteem after divorce. Eighty-three divorced mothers and 96 children from Seville (Spain) were interviewed. Children were between 6 and 14 years old (M = 9.21; SD = 1.94). Families were accessed through the primary schools where the children attended. The results showed heterogeneity in nonresident father involvement: the contact frequency varied between those who had no relationship with their father and those who saw him weekly or daily; the majority of children (88%) assessed the relationship with their father as positive; 38.5% of them stayed overnight with him; 80.2% of the fathers did not participate in any important decision regarding his children, and almost half of the fathers (46.8%) failed to pay the amount established by the judge. Results indicated that children had a medium level of self-esteem (M = 2.96; SD = 0.53). Finally, data showed a significant relationship between children ´s self-esteem and the quality of the father-child relationship (F(1,73)= 5.92, p <0.01). These results could improve children´s self-esteem after parental divorce by considering the importance of the nonresident father’s involvement.