Renegotiating Nonresidential Father–Child Relationships During Emerging Adulthood

• Author: Lawrence Ganong,Marilyn Coleman,Tyler Jamison,Richard Feistman
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12223
• Published date: 01 December 2016
• Date: 01 December 2016

R F Center for Collaborative Education

T J University of New Hampshire

M C  L G University of Missouri

Renegotiating Nonresidential Father–Child

Relationships During Emerging Adulthood

Father–child relationships tend to decrease

in quality and closeness following parental

divorce, yet little is known about how these

relationships evolve in response to normative

developmental changes in children. We con-

ducted a grounded theory study of how 33

emerging adults maintained or changed their

relationships with their nonresidential fathers

during the transition to adulthood. In-depth

interviews revealed that some father–child

relationships were unchanged by divorce, but

most became more distant immediately fol-

lowing parental separation. During emerging

adulthood these relationships did not neces-

sarily become closer, but communication often

increased and stressful interactions decreased

for some, especially when compared to child-

hood. The ndings suggest that normative

changes that accompany emerging adulthood

(e.g., leaving home, gaining new insight about

themselves and their families) may facilitate

renewed connections between previously distant

nonresidential fathers and children.

There is a large body of research examining the

processes that either facilitate or hinder healthy

Center for CollaborativeEducation, 33 Harrison Avenue, 6th

Floor, Boston, MA 02111 (rfeistman@ccebos.org).

Key Words: Divorce, emergingadulthood, fatherhood,

nonresidential fatherhood.

outcomes of children in postdivorce families

(e.g., Ahrons & Tanner, 2003; Amato, 2010).

Although this literature has focused mainly

on the well-being of children and adolescents

whose parents divorce, there is some evidence

suggesting that the transition to adulthood also

may be a time when individuals reevaluate their

parents’ divorce and how they were affected by

it (Ahrons & Tanner, 2003; Nielsen, 2011).

Arnett (2004) described emerging adulthood

as a period between 18 and 25 years old that is

marked by identity exploration and opportunity

as well as by relational and nancial instability.

Positive contact with parents has been found to

increase emerging adults’ self-esteem, improve

their life satisfaction, and lower their psycholog-

ical distress as they pursue higher education and

other goals (Finley & Schwartz, 2010). Com-

pared to emerging adults with married parents,

however, those with divorced parents are less

likely to have frequent contact with either parent,

and maintaining contact with fathers is espe-

cially challenging (Eldar-Avidan, Haj-Yahia, &

Greenbaum, 2009; Nielsen, 2011). There is also

evidence that emerging adults’ relationships

with their nonresidential fathers are important

for their well-being (Amato, 2010; Mattanah,

Lopez, & Govern, 2011). What remains unclear

is how emerging adults’ relationships with their

nonresidential fathers change (or do not change)

when they turn 18 and are no longer subject

to the custody arrangements outlined in their

parents’ legal divorce agreement.

Family Relations 65 (December 2016): 673–687 673

DOI:10.1111/fare.12223