He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Mark 5:34 NRSV

 


Adverse Outcomes from the Current

            In the United States, the number of single-parent households peaked in the recent decades.[1] In the previous chapter, we saw how children in single-parent households experienced more physical and psychological problems in comparison to those who grew up in two-parent households. The implications of homes in which the father is absent must be critically distinguished. What default future would the current on fatherlessness create? Honestly and courageously answering this question allows us to swim away from the current. Let’s talk about 10 adverse outcomes that are associated with homes missing a father.

 

It is becoming a norm because of how many children are growing up without a father.

 

The statistics for fatherless children in the country has already reached concerning level. It is becoming a norm because of how many children are growing up without a father.  Problems from fatherlessness have been found to extend into adolescence and adulthood, which includes the increased risk of substance use, depression, suicide, poor school performance, and contact with the criminal justice.

Problems from fatherlessness have been found to extend into adolescence and adulthood, which includes the increased risk of substance use, depression, suicide, poor school performance, and contact with the criminal justice.

 

The adverse outcomes may result from the absence of a father in a child’s life can be based on the child’s perceived abandonment, attachment issues, child abuse, childhood obesity, criminal justice involvement, gang involvement, mental health issues, poor school performance, poverty and homelessness, and substance abuse.

Perceived Abandonment

Children who had no respectable fatherly presence in their lives may come to resent paternal-figures because of perceived abandonment, which includes the idea of God. There is a tendency for fatherless children to be unwilling to surrender their lives to God the Father, when they have lived all their lives feeling abandoned by their own fathers. These feelings are birthed from the lack of trust and can result in a heightened sense of anger.

There is a tendency for fatherless children to be unwilling to surrender their lives to God the Father, when they have lived all their lives feeling abandoned by their own fathers.

 

Growing up, the child who feels these emotional issues may contribute to problems with the criminal justice system, drug abuse, or even relationship and mental health problems.  To illustrate, anger stemming from abandonment can make it difficult for teenagers to establish friendships and relationships.

Attachment Issues

Attachment pertains to the deep emotional bond that exists and grows between the caregiver and the child. Children who did not experience having a father in their home are more likely to experience attachment-related problems than those from two-parent households.[1] Serious emotional issues can be experienced throughout the lifespan. The inability to form a strong caregiver bond is linked with the hypervigilance to anger the individual experienced. The fatherless child may also experience a misappropriation of hostile intent to neutral stimuli, both of which may result in conduct problems in the child. Such misbehavior may have the unintended consequence of creating difficulties in the development of friendships and healthy romantic relationships. On the other hand, the active involvement of a father with his children can promote empathy and self-control for the child throughout life.

Child Abuse

If the mother is the only caregiver of the child, the mounting stress over the considerable parenthood responsibilities increases the risk of her harming her children of herself.

There have been publications that linked the absence of fathers to higher risk conditions for mothers and their children. Fatherless children are more likely to be the victim of physical (with the inclusion of sexual) abuse, and neglect, in comparison to those who grew up with fathers.[1] Additionally, the absence of a father creates in the child an increased psychological burden, as he or she must make sense of why his or her father is not present. This burden can be experienced beyond the child to alternative caregivers such as the child’s mother. The needs of a child are hard to meet, even when the mother is very loving, committed and caring, if the father is absent. When children are surrounded by multiple caring adults, such as the mother, extended family members, and community members, they are more likely to thrive and feel supported. If the mother is the only caregiver of the child, the mounting stress over the considerable parenthood responsibilities increases the risk of her harming her children of herself.

 

 

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