Stelle Charlie D, Sheehan Nancy W
Bowling Green State University, College of Health and Human Services, Ohio 43403, USA.
Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2011;72(1):45-65. doi: 10.2190/AG.72.1.c.
While research on parent-adult child relationships has expanded over the last two decades, most research has ignored the experiences of older fathers and their relationships with adult children. The present study sought to explore how midlife and older men assess the costs and rewards associated with their fatherhood experiences and how fathers' level of paternal maturity influences their perceptions of fatherhood. More specifically, the purpose of the present study was two-fold: to explore the costs and rewards of fatherhood and whether paternal maturity serves as a moderator of older men's fatherhood experiences. A purposive sample of 96 fathers (age 50-80) completed measures assessing ego development, generativity, and costs and rewards of fatherhood. The construct of paternal maturity, hypothesized to influence assessment of fatherhood experiences, was operationally defined as combining both affective (generativity) and cognitive (ego development) levels of psychological maturity. Results indicate mixed support for the influence of paternal maturity on fathers' perceptions of costs and rewards. Overall, findings note that the affective side of maturity (generativity) is more strongly associated with fathers' accounts of the costs and rewards than the cognitive side of maturity (ego development). Discussion centers on the utility of these concepts and the implications for continued research into the ongoing relationships between fathers and adult children.
虽然在过去二十年里，关于父母与成年子女关系的研究有所扩展，但大多数研究都忽视了年长父亲的经历以及他们与成年子女的关系。本研究旨在探讨中年及年长男性如何评估与为人父经历相关的成本和回报，以及父亲的父性成熟水平如何影响他们对父性的认知。更具体地说，本研究的目的有两个：探讨为人父的成本和回报，以及父性成熟是否是年长男性为人父经历的调节因素。一个由96位父亲（年龄在50至80岁之间）组成的有目的样本完成了评估自我发展、繁衍力以及为人父的成本和回报的测量。父性成熟这一构念被假设会影响对为人父经历的评估，在操作上被定义为心理成熟的情感（繁衍力）和认知（自我发展）水平的结合。结果表明，父性成熟对父亲对成本和回报的认知的影响得到了不同程度的支持。总体而言，研究结果指出，成熟的情感方面（繁衍力）比成熟的认知方面（自我发展）与父亲对成本和回报的描述联系更为紧密。讨论集中在这些概念的效用以及对父亲与成年子女持续关系的后续研究的启示上。
