The Importance of Fathers

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the relation between self-esteem, socio-demographic factors, father-daughter relationships, and sexual risk-taking in an economically diverse group of late-adolescent African American girls. Participants were 100 African American adolescent girls from the Southeast region of the U.S. Regression analyses revealed that fathers' education was the most powerful predictor of sexual risk, with self-esteem emerging as a significant, yet less powerful predictor. A subset of the initial sample participated in a secondary, qualitative study explicitly examining father-daughter communication about sexuality. Thematic analysis revealed three distinct categories of father-daughter sexual communication. Participants associated directive and insightful communication styles with positive father-daughter relationships and less risky sexual behavior. Absent/ avoidant communication was linked to rejection, regret, and more risky sexual behavior. Results suggest that the impact of fathers on girls' sexual risk-taking is powerful and distinctly different than the effect of the more traditionally explored correlates of risk.