2nd Edition

Father-Daughter Relationships Contemporary Research and Issues

By Linda Nielsen Copyright 2019
    246 Pages
    by Routledge

    246 Pages
    by Routledge

    In this fully revised new edition, Father-Daughter Relationships: Contemporary Research and Issues summarises and analyses the most relevant research regarding father-daughter relationships, aiming to break down the persistent misconceptions regarding fatherhood and father-daughter relationships and encourage the reader to take a more objective and analytical approach.

    The research is brought to life with compelling personal stories from fathers and daughters, including well-known celebrities and politicians. Boxed quizzes and questionnaires show students how the research can be applied to their own lives while others highlight the relationships between real-life fathers and daughters. Nielsen discusses the father-daughter relationship within a diverse range of family structures, including divorced and separated parents, gay parents, adopted children and children of sperm donors. Covering a wide range of topics, including the father’s impact on his daughter’s cognitive, academic, social and physical wellbeing, ethnic minorities, and incarcerated or abusive fathers, Father-Daughter Relationships: Contemporary Research and Issues gives panoramic view of the most recent research and statistics.

    This book is essential reading for upper level undergraduate and for graduate students, as well as for practitioners working with families, such as social workers, mental health professionals and family counsellors. It is especially relevant for courses in psychology, sociology, women’s studies, and counselling.

    Linda Nielsen is a Professor of Adolescent and Educational Psychology at Wake Forest University. A member of the faculty for 35 years, she is a nationally recognized expert on father-daughter relationships.

    Chapter One: Fathers, facts and fictions
    What’s a woozle?

    How are woozles born and raised?

    How our memories and cognitive processing deceive us

    The most damaging woozles

    Maternal instinct

    The female brain: hardwired for mothering

    Babies’ primary bond with their mothers

    The stronger impact of mothers

    Mother’s superior parenting style

    Female empathy and communication

    Childcare: Second shift moms and shiftless dads

    Physically abusive and murderous fathers

    Chapter Two : Fathers and Fatherhood

    Ignoring, dismissing or demeaning fathers

    Social science research

    Children’s literature and films

    Media and advertising

    Medical and mental health professionals

    Constraints on fathering time: Work

    American paternity leave policies
    Does income trump good fathering?

    What is "good" fathering?

    Fathering scales and questionnaires

    How fatherhood changes men

    Financial stress
    Stress on parents’ relationship

    Emotional stress: postpartum depression

    Quality of the parent-child relationship
    Daughters’ impact on their fathers

    Chapter Three

    The Father’s impact: Cognitive, academic, vocational, social and emotional
    Cognitive development

    Infancy through preschool

    Childhood through early adulthood

    Vocational development
    Social relationships: Peers and teachers

    Sexual behavior, romantic relationships and marriage

    Depression and suicide

    Identify and individuation

    Chapter four

    The father’s impact: The daughter’s physical well-being

    Premature baby care

    Adequate Sleep

    Physical reactions to stress
    Obesity

    Physical activity and sports

    Eating disorders

    Overview of teenage and young adult substance us

    Daughters’ teenage and young adult drinking

    Daughters’ smoking and vaping

    Daughters’ marijuana use

    Daughter’s opioid use

    Sexual behavior: Impact on physical health

    Teenage pregnancy
    Sexually transmitted diseases

    Dating aggression and rape

    The father’s impact on sexual health risks

    Chapter Five – The mother’s impact on father-daughter relationships

    Psychoanalytic theories

    Attachment theory

    Family systems theory

    Closeness, communication and conflict with mothers versus fathers

    Love versus closeness and communication

    Maternal gate-keeping

    Quality of the co-parenting relationship
    Quality of the parents’ relationship and parenting stress

    Chapter Six - Divorced or separated fathers and their daughters

    The relationships at greatest risk

    Impact of parental separation on daughters

    Damaging beliefs: Divorce woozles

    Shared versus sole physical custody
    Parents’ damaging disclosures

    Enmeshment and role reversals
    Maternal gatekeeping

    Parental alienation

    Remarriage and blended families


    Chapter Seven : Fathers and daughters in minority families

    Socio-economic differences among minorities
    Colorism: Impact on daughters and the father’s role
    African American families

    Hispanic American families

    Asian American families

    Native American families

    Immigrant families

    Chapter Eight: Destructive or Challenging Father-Daughter Relationships

    Impoverished, single mother families
    Incarcerated Fathers
    Alcoholic fathers

    Drug addicted fathers: The opioid epidemic

    Sexually abusive fathers

    Fathers in the military

    Single fathers raising daughters

    Gay or bisexual fathers

    Lesbian or bisexual daughters

    Daughters of sperm donors

    Fathers with chronic or fatal illnesses

    Biography

    Linda Nielsen is a Professor of Adolescent and Educational Psychology at Wake Forest University (US). A member of the faculty for 35 years, she is a nationally recognized expert on father-daughter relationships.

    #9 choice in best fatherhood books for 2020, Book Authority: https://bookauthority.org/books/new-fatherhood-books

    This book provides a very readable and engaging review of the scholarly literature on father-daughter relationships. This new edition brings to life the most recent research and scholarship and is certain to intrigue and excite students, teachers, and clinicians striving to understand how father-child relationships can enhance or impede the well-being of girls and women. The presentation is enlivened by illustrative comments by fathers and daughters about their own relationships.

    Michael E. Lamb, Psychology Professor, University of Cambridge, President of Developmental Psychology division of the American Psychological Association. Editor of The Role of the Father in Child Development

    An astonishing breadth of scholarship that captures the current state of knowledge and presents it in a crisp, clear, and entertaining format. Essential for courses on child development, this book is also an indispensable resource for professionals who work with families. Nielsen illustrates the implications and applications of research with captivating examples from Barbie dolls to Super Bowl ads, making the book appealing to anyone interested in the vital role that a father occupies in his daughter’s development.

    Richard A. Warshak, Ph. D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Author of Divorce Poison: How to Protect Your Family from Bad-mouthing and Brainwashing

    This extraordinary book is destined to become a classic. It should be on every family scholar’s bookshelf. Nielsen tackles a massive amount of data to make a major contribution to our understanding of father-daughter relationships. A key strength is the way Nielsen brings current research to bear on a plethora of "woozles"— widely-believed, but inaccurate beliefs about fathering. Her scope reaches far beyond white middle-class families to include ethnic minorities, gay, divorced and single-parent fathers, and fathers impacted by incarceration, poverty, substance abuse, and chronic illness.

    Patricia Papernow, Ed.D. American Psychological Association Psychologist of the Year, Division of Couples & Family Counseling. Author of Surviving & Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships