Florida International University, Miami, FL Desired Parental Involvement (DPI) and Troubled Ruminations (TR) about Parents based on Family Form Alina Nazareth, Gordon Finley, PhD Florida International University, Miami, FL Abstract Methods Results (Continued) Conclusion This study is an exploration of the relationship between retrospectively perceived desired parental involvement and current troubled ruminations about fathers and mothers by young adults. It investigates the impact of family form on desired parental involvement and subsequently on troubled ruminations. The results show a positive correlation between desired parental involvement and troubled ruminations about fathers and mothers. It also shows a higher association between desired parental involvement and troubled ruminations for fathers as compared to mothers in children of divorce. Data were gathered between September 2004 and January 2006 from two large public universities. Participants completed the nurturance and involvement scales, along with psychosocial functioning measures that were not analyzed for the current study. The order of the nurturance and involvement measures (mother first versus father first) was counterbalanced to control for order effects. Participants either completed the measures individually in a research laboratory or in class within approximately 30 minutes. 2. In divorced homes, the association between desired parental involvement and troubled ruminations was found to be significantly greater for fathers as compared to mothers ( See Table 2). Table 2: Overall correlation between DPI and TR in divorced homes The present study yields four important insights: 1. Desired parental involvement (DPI) during childhood is positively correlated to troubled ruminations (TR) during young adulthood. This finding serves as an impetus to parents and society to reconsider the long term importance of parental involvement. 2. Troubled ruminations about parents in young adulthood have been shown to be significantly related to low self-esteem, lack of purpose in life, poor life satisfaction, romantic relationship problems and psychological stress (Schwartz & Finley, 2010).Hence, the findings have important implications for counseling young adults. 3. There was strong evidence for a greater association between desired paternal involvement (instrumental) and troubled ruminations about fathers in female children of divorce. This finding supports earlier research arguing that the instrumental role of the father substantially decreases post-divorce. This finding also supports the argument that the father-daughter relationship is more fragile with boys tending to have more father contact than girls soon after the divorce. 4. The higher correlation between desired parental involvement and troubled ruminations for fathers as compared to mothers in children of divorce has important implications for current legal practices leaning towards maternal custody. As an optimal post-divorce family form, the findings support equal shared parenting. 3. Although, there was a higher positive correlation between desired parental involvement and troubled ruminations for participants from divorced homes as compared to those from intact homes, this difference was not statistically significant ( See Figure 1). Figure 1: Scatterplots for DPI and TR by family form Measures Introduction Troubled Ruminations about Parents: The measure was developed by Schwartz and Finley (2010). Three of the four scale items were selected from the Painful feelings About Divorce (PFAD) measure developed by Laumann-Billings and Emery (2000). Example: “My father (mother) caused most of the pain in my family” Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for scores on the troubled ruminations about fathers were (α = .82) and troubled ruminations about mothers were (α = .78). Maternal and Paternal Desired Involvement : ‘Reported’ as well as ‘desired’ involvement, were each assessed in 20 domains of parenting drawn primarily from Hawkins and Palkovitz (1999). The Cronbach’s alpha estimates for desired instrumental fathering was .91 and for desired expressive fathering was .91. The Cronbach’s alpha estimates for desired instrumental mothering was .88 and for desired expressive mothering was .89 (Finley, Mira et al. 2008). Troubled ruminations among young adults allude to: The feeling that one or both of their parents caused pain in their families, The feeling that one or both parents were not interested in spending time with them, That their parents may not have loved them, and That they are dissatisfied with their relationship with one or both parents. (Finley & Schwartz, 2010; Schwartz & Finley, 2010). The present study aims to: Enhance our understanding of troubled ruminations, a recently introduced construct. Increase our understanding of emerging adulthood as a new developmental phase and the extent to which childhood attachment figures impact it. Expand on the much-needed research on the importance and role of the non-resident father in the developmental and psychosocial well-being of his child. 4. However, on further analysis of the effects of family form, strong evidence was found for a greater association between desired paternal involvement (instrumental) and troubled ruminations about fathers in female children of divorce as compared to female children from intact families (Χ2=10.041, p=. 002) (See Table 3). Table 3: Correlation for DPI (instrumental) and TR for daughters References Finley, G. E., & Schwartz, S. J. (2010). The divided world of the child: Divorce and long-term psychosocial adjustment. Family Court Review, 48(3), 516- 527. Hawkins, A. J., & Palkovitz, R. (1999). Beyond ticks and clicks: The need for more diverse and broader conceptualizations and measures of father involvement. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 8, 11–32. Laumann-Billings, L., & Emery, R. E. (2000). Distress among young adults from divorced families. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 671–687. Schwartz, S. J., & Finley, G. E. (2010). Troubled ruminations about parents: Conceptualization and validation with emerging adults. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88(1), 80-91. Results 1. There was a significant positive correlation between desired parental involvement (DPI) and troubled ruminations (TR) about fathers and mothers (See Table 1). Table 1: Overall correlation between DPI and TR Participants 1,413 young adult university students. Females: 76% Males: 24% Mean age: 19.81 years; SD: 3.35 Intact families: 75% Divorced families: 25% Mean participant age at the time of divorce: 8.2 years; SD: 5.2 This research was supported by Florida International University Presented at the 2012 APA Annual Convention, Orlando, Fla. Contact Information: anaza003@fiu.edu