Filipino Fathers’ Familism and Parenting in the Context of Poor Living and Neighborhood Conditions

• In Event: 3-174 - The Role of Neighborhood Context in Shaping Diverse Youth Development

Integrative Statement

A large body of research on fatherhood and father-child relationships in Western societies indicates that fathers play an important role in children's and adolescents’ development. Far less is known about fathers residing in non-Western contexts, especially fathers in Asian countries. In the Philippines, poor and low-income households make up more than half of the household population. Whereas previous researchers have examined Filipino fathers’ parenting roles and the factors that contribute to their parenting, there is limited knowledge on Filipino fathers’ parenting in the context of poor living and neighborhood conditions. Further, despite the common depiction of Filipinos as family-centered, little is known about how family-oriented values play a role in Filipino parenting. In this study, we aimed to (a) investigate whether poor living conditions and neighborhood disorder are associated with paternal warmth and rejection and (b) examine family-oriented values (i.e., familism) as a moderator of relations between poor living conditions, neighborhood disorder, and paternal warmth and rejection.

The sample included 84 fathers or male guardians (age range = 29 to 69 years, M = 44.8, SD = 8.9) who have at least one adolescent child between the ages of 12 and 18 (M = 14.2, SD = 1.63) in the household. The participants were recruited from low-income neighborhoods in metropolitan Manila, and represented a financially disadvantaged group, with family incomes belonging to the poor to lower middle income range. Trained researchers traveled to community centers close to the parents' homes and conducted structured one-on-one interviews with fathers. Fathers reported on their living conditions, perceived neighborhood disorder, familism values and parenting behaviors using questionnaires that were adapted to the local context and translated to Filipino. Poor living conditions was assessed using a composite risk index of housing status, water supply, access to electricity, and food insecurity. Neighborhood disorder was assessed using perceptions of poor physical and social neighborhood conditions.

Results showed that, after controlling for demographic covariates, poor living conditions were associated with greater rejection (B = .17, SE = .09, p < .05). Neighborhood disorder was also associated with grater rejection (B = .63, SE = .18, p < .01). Main effects analyses showed that familism was associated with greater warmth (B = .37, SE = .10, p < .001). However, moderation analyses examining the interaction of familism with poor living and neighborhood conditions suggest that familism may also have a risk-amplifying role. Specifically, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate that poor living conditions and neighborhood disorder were significantly associated with greater paternal rejection only at high and average levels of familism and not at low levels of familism. Follow-up analyses revealed that the direct and moderated relations did not vary by adolescent sex.

We discuss the potential role of familism as both risk and promotive in relation to cultural expectations regarding Filipino fathers’ roles and responsibilities. The findings also suggest that interventions conducted in low-income urban Filipino communities may benefit from considering family-oriented cultural values and the multifaceted role that they may play in fathers’ functioning and behaviors.

Authors

• Rosanne M Jocson, Department of Psychology, Ateneo de Manila University
  Presenting Author

• Paula Britta Apines, Department of Psychology, Ateneo de Manila University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jun Angelo Sunglao, Department of Psychology, Ateneo de Manila University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Mara Patricia Yusingco, Department of Psychology, Ateneo de Manila University
  Non-Presenting Author