ABSTRACT

This study examined whether various types of father-figure presence in Mexican (n = 414)- and Dominican- American (n = 336) households measured at baseline predicted child mental health functioning one year later. Results of linear regression analyses showed that the impact of household structure on child functioning was significant and differed by ethnicity. For Mexican-American children, residing with a step-father or other adult male predicted increased externalizing problems compared to children residing their biological father. For Dominican-American children, residing with no father figure predicted increased externalizing problems compared to children residing with a biological father. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

 抽象的

这项研究检验了墨西哥（ n = 414）和多米尼加裔美国人（ n = 336）家庭中各种类型的父亲形象的存在是否可以预测一年后儿童的心理健康功能。线性回归分析的结果表明，家庭结构对儿童功能的影响显着，并且因种族而异。对于墨西哥裔美国儿童来说，与继父或其他成年男性住在一起的孩子与与亲生父亲住在一起的孩子相比，外化问题会增加。对于多米尼加裔美国儿童来说，与与亲生父亲住在一起的孩子相比，没有父亲形象的住所预示着外化问题会增加。讨论了对实践和未来研究的影响。