Adolescent Experiences Linking Early Paternal Loss to Young Adult Relationships

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Abstract

The loss of a father in early life is a profound life course disruption with implications for adolescents and their transition to adulthood. This study examined how two forms of paternal loss—death and unknown whereabouts—are associated with young adult romantic relationship formation and whether this association operates through three domains of adolescent experience: human capital accumulation, precursor relationships, and socioemotional functioning. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 10,198), multinomial logistic regression models indicated that young people who experienced either form of paternal loss were more likely to follow an unstable relationship pathway in young adulthood. Mediation analyses revealed distinct adolescent mechanisms linking this association: unknown whereabouts operated through early sexual activity, whereas bereavement operated through human capital disruptions. These findings underscore the heterogeneity of early paternal loss and the developmental pathways linking loss to later relationships.

Authors

• Anne E Flanagan, The University of Texas at Austin

• Robert Crosnoe, University of Texas-Austin