Childhood well-being is dependent upon the development of positive interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships and the maturation of stage-appropriate capacities throughout an individual’s youth and adolescence (Raghavan & Alexandrova, 2015). Further, the development and maturation of features of childhood well-being is conditioned by the social ecology in which a child is raised, itself significantly influenced by family structure and parental perceptions of self-efficacy as a provider, teacher, or nurturer (Raghavan & Alexandrova, 2015). Research indicates that married-couple households, having enhanced means for human capital investment in children, cultivate social ecologies most conducive to integral childhood development, while other structures, such as single-mother households, are correlated with greater frequency of inferior outcomes among indicators as well-being and reduced human capital investment capacity (Wilcox et al., 2024; Dufur et al., 2022; Nieuwenhuis & Maldonado, 2018; Kerney & Levine, 2017). Further, when an individual experiences anxieties regarding their efficacy as a parent, notwithstanding their actual capacities, relationships between parents and children may be marked by tension and inferior outcomes may result (Nomaguchi & Milkie, 2020; Chau & Giallo, 2015).
On Father’s Day, A Reflection on Abiding Support
With Father’s Day right around the corner, I find myself once again reflecting on the love, care, and guidance I’ve been shown by father over the 27 years of my life. I certainly would not be who I am now without his unconditional and unceasing concern and constant desire to ensure my well-being and good,...