Paternal figure influence on resiliency development in African American adolescent females
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how paternal support influences building resiliency in African American girls in their ability to overcome stressful circumstances. This study sought to determine whether the manner in which the adolescent girl faces environmental obstacles is impacted by her family structure. The history of African Americans in the United States has permeated the manner in which today's Black family exists. In the midst of the Black family is the adolescent girl in need of structure and support to manage the complexities of society. Further evaluated was the influence of a paternal figure's impact on her ability to exhibit resilience and positive gains such as academic success, development of hope, and interpersonal relational competence. The primary hypothesis for this investigation examined the perception of paternal support and its likelihood of increased levels of resilience, as measured by the Network of Relationships Inventory-father form (NRI) by Furman & Buhrmester (1992) and the Resilience Scale (RS) designed by Wagnild & Young (1993), respectively. It was also hypothesized that high levels of paternal support would demonstrate a significant relationship with academic success, development of hope, interpersonal relational competence, healthy, secure attachment patterns and lessened depressive symptoms. The sample included 104 African American girls receiving educational/medical treatment through a teen clinic located in a large metropolitan city in the southeastern region of the United States. Results indicated no significant correlations among paternal support and resilience, academic success, development of hope, interpersonal relational competence, healthy secure attachment or avoidance of depressive symptoms. These findings provide opportunities for additional discussions surrounding the influence of paternal figures and adolescent daughters. Recommendations for future research are suggested.
Subject Area
Black studies|Social psychology|Developmental psychology|Individual & family studies|African American Studies
Recommended Citation
Kimberly N Davis,
"Paternal figure influence on resiliency development in African American adolescent females"
(2009).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI3369049.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI3369049