| Summary: | Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by
Coursework and Research Report in the field of Community-Based Counselling Psychology
In the
Faculty of Humanities
At the
University Of The Witwatersrand === Background: The development of self-esteem begins early on at childhood, and this
is based on emotional and social growth. Earlier research studies demonstrate that children who
co-reside with their biological fathers present with higher self-esteem. The impact of father
presence on daughters in early childhood stages of life continues to shape their self-esteem in
young-adulthood or adulthood stages. However, absent is research that studies how self-esteem
relates to father presence and involvement in young women’s lives, particularly in the Global
South. Moreover, there is a conspicuous absence of South African literature that addresses this
association in samples of adolescents and young women. To address this limitation, the study
aimed to investigate the association between daughters’ self-esteem and the three domains of
father presence. The study also examined whether self-esteem differed based on the reasons
for-father-absence or other selected socio-demographic variables. Specifically, the study
intended to analyse the following hypothesis:
1. Daughters’ self-esteem will be positively related to the RF-Domain
2. Daughters’ self-esteem will be positively related to the BAF-Domain.
3. Daughters’ self-esteem will be positively related to the IFI-Domain.
4. Daughters’ self-esteem scores would not significantly differ based on the relationship
status (Rel-Status), ethnicity, overall degree of closeness with the father (DCD),
mothers’ educational level (Mother-Edu), co-residence status of the father (FC-Status),
co-residence status of the father-figure (FFC-Status), degree of contact with the father
if parents divorced/separated (DegC) or daughter’s age at father's death/permanent
departure if father departed before the age of 18 years (AgeD)
5. Daughters’ self-esteem scores would not significantly differ based on the Reasons-for
father-absence.
Self-esteem and father presence: A study of young women at a South African university
6. AgeD, Rel-Status, Ethnicity, DCD, DegC, Mother-Edu, FC-Status, FFC-Status and
relationship with the father domain (RF-Domain) have a significant contribution to the
prediction of daughters’ self-esteem.
Methods: A quantitative non-experimental correlational cross-sectional study was conducted
with a purposive convenient sample of 250 undergraduate and postgraduate psychology female
students aged between 18 and 24 years, registered with the University of the Witwatersrand. A
self-reported online questionnaire was used to collect data during the month of November and
December 2016. The IBM SPSS Statistics (version 24) was used for data analysis. Cronbach
alpha analyses were used to calculate the internal reliabilities of the FPQ and self-esteem
measures. A series of Pearson or Spearman’s correlations were used to establish the association
between self-esteem and three domains of father presence. A series of one-way ANOVAs or
independent samples t-tests were conducted to investigate whether there were significant
differences in young women’s self-esteem based on ethnicity, degree of closeness, or other
selected socio-demographic variables. A series of multiple linear regression analyses were
conducted to predict self-esteem by ethnicity and DCD in conjunction with the subscales of the
relationship with father domain of the father presence measure.
Results: Self-esteem demonstrated a significant positive relationship with the RF
domain of father presence (p < 0.05). Young women’s self-esteem demonstrated a partial
significant relationship with the beliefs about the father or intergenerational family influences
domains of father presence. Young women’s self-esteem differed based on the ethnicity or the
reasons-for-father-absence (p < 0.05). However, a selected number of socio-demographic
factors (i.e. AgeD, FFC-Status, FC-Status, Relationship-Status, or DegC) exhibited no
significant differences in young women’s self-esteem (p > 0.05). Moreover, ethnicity in
combination with the perceptions of the father’s influence, feelings about the father, mother’s
support for the relationship with the father, physical relationship with the father or the father
Self-esteem and father presence: A study of young women at a South African university
mother relationship were significant predictors of self-esteem (p < 0.05), with ethnicity being
the better predictor variable. However, DCD demonstrated no significant contribution in the
prediction of self-esteem in any of the regression models.
Discussion: The relationship between self-esteem and the three domains, namely the
relations with the father, beliefs about the father, and the intergenerational family influences
were partially consistent with previous research. Moreover, consistent with previous research,
there were significant mean differences in self-esteem based on young women’s ethnicity,
degree of closeness with father, and the mother’s educational level.
Conclusions: the domains of father presence were associated or partially associated
with young women’s self-esteem. Ethnicity predicted self-esteem in conjunction with each of
the subscales of the father relationship domain.
Recommendations: These findings suggest that researchers and clinicians should
consider the role of ethnicity in combination with each of components of the relationship with
the father domain of father presence as significant factors which predict daughters’ self-esteem.
Researchers should also consider self-esteem to be associated with factors such as the
respondents’ ethnicity, overall degree of closeness with the father, perceptions of the father’s
influence, feelings about the father, mother’s support for the relationship with the father,
physical relationship with the father, father-mother relationship, conceptions of God as the
Father, negative sentiments of the mother’s relationship with her father, or the positive
sentiments of the mother’s relationship with her father.
Key words: adolescents, daughters, father absence, father involvement, father
presence, self-esteem, South Africa, young women. === GR2019
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