The Role of Boomerang Fathers in Adolescent Female Depression

• Author: Daphne C. Hernandez,Cassandra Dorius,Emily Pressler
• Published date: 01 October 2016
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12336
• Date: 01 October 2016

D C. H University of Houston

E P New York University∗

C D Iowa State University∗∗

The Role of Boomerang Fathers in Adolescent

Female Depression

Data from the 1979 National Longitudinal

Survey of Youth were employed to explore

the association between boomerang fathering

from birth to age 18 on adolescent depressive

symptomatology (N=3,731). We examined

the effects of experiencing a biological father

exiting and entering the home because of break-

ing up and repartnering with an adolescent’s

mother (i.e., “boomerang fathering”) when

compared with other father residential patterns

on adolescent depression. Findings suggest

that boomerang fathering is more benecial

than harmful. Adolescent females exposed to

boomerang fathering, as well as those exposed

to fathers who resided with them from birth

to age 18, reported signicantly lower depres-

sive symptoms when compared with females

exposed to fathers who exited the household and

never returned. Boomerang fathering was not

signicantly associated with male adolescent

depressive symptomatology. Providing greater

Department of Health and Human Performance, 3875

Holman Street, Garrison Gymnasium Room 104, Houston,

TX 77204-6015 (dhernandez26@uh.edu).

∗Institute of Human Development and Social Change, 627

Broadway, 8th Floor,New York, NY 10012.

∗∗Department of Human Development and Family Studies,

4380 Palmer, Suite 1321, Ames, IA 50011.

This article was edited by Kelly Raley.

KeyWords: adolescence, depression, fathers, gender,mental

health.

family support during times of instability may

assist in unifying families and be an indirect

source of mental health prevention.

Depression is a common mental health disor-

der among adolescents, often rst developing

shortly after puberty and peaking in young

adulthood (Hankin et al., 1998; Thapar, Col-

lishaw, Pine, & Thapar, 2012). Depressive

symptoms can uctuate during adolescence

(Wight, Sepulveda, & Aneshensel, 2004) and

can have negative consequences for child aca-

demic outcomes, self-esteem, and problem

behaviors, including alcohol and substance

abuse, suicide ideation, and suicide (Harlow,

Newcomb, & Bentler, 1986; Lemstra et al.,

2008; Marmorstein, 2009). Furthermore, ado-

lescent depression is a precursor to a broad

range of psychosocial difculties in adult-

hood, including anxiety disorders and bipolar

disorder (Copeland, Shanahan, Costello, &

Angold, 2009; Fergusson, Horwood, Ridder,

& Beautrais, 2005), and is associated with

forming less committed romantic unions in

early adulthood (Manning, Trella, Lyons, & Du

Toit, 2010; Sandberg-Thoma & Kamp Dush,

2014). Although depression is common among

both genders, girls are twice as likely to expe-

rience depressive symptomatology. This may

be related to girls focusing inward on their

emotions rather than actively relieving their

distress (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2001).

Journal of Marriage and Family 78 (October 2016): 1285–1299 1285

DOI:10.1111/jomf.12336