Investigating Perceived Paternal Attitudes of Children Aged between 9 and 17 Years

Abstract

Introduction: The study aims to investigate the perceived paternal attitudes of children aged between 9 and 17 years in relation to some variables such as child’s gender, child’s age, the number of siblings, father’s working status, and father’s level of education. Methods: The study used a survey design. The sample group consisted of 424 children aged between 9 and 17 years, including 233 girls and 191 boys. The data were collected using the Child Raising Styles Scale developed by Sümer and Güngör (1999), and a General Information Form. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. An independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to test whether there is a single significant difference in the dataset. The Scheffe test was used to determine the groups that caused the significant difference. Results: The level of significance was set at p<0.05 in all statistical analyses. There was no significant difference in father’s acceptance/attention in terms of child’s gender and the number of siblings, while a significant difference was found in terms of child’s age, father’s working status, and father’s level of education. There was no significant difference in children’s perceived paternal attitudes according to child’s gender, child’s age, number of siblings, father’s working status, and father’s level of education in the supervision/control dimension. On the other hand, there was a significant difference according to child’s age, child’s gender, number of siblings, father’s working status, and father’s level of education in the acceptance/attention dimension. Discussion: Taken together, the research results showed that fathers’ child-raising attitudes vary. Some results are consistent with earlier studies, and some are contrast to earlier studies. A possible explanation for this might be factors such as place, time, sample, changes in parental attitudes, and socio-cultural changes. Limitations: The sample consisted of 424 children aged between 9 and 17 years including 233 girls and 191 boys. Conclusions: Parents’ attitudes and behaviours in raising their children are different. These differences may result from parents’ expectations of their children, parents’ enjoyment of the parenting role, the number of children, children’s birth order, children’s gender, children’s personality traits, parents’ personality traits, and the interaction that parents had with their parents in their childhood. These factors have an impact on parents’ attitudes and behaviours and determine the form and quality of the relationship between the mother, father, and child.