| Involvement of the Non-Resident Parent
Because of high rates of nonmarital births, divorce and separation, many children currently reside with only one parent. For the most part, non-resident parents are men. In general, non-resident fathers are less involved in their children’s lives than are resident fathers. The research portrays mixed results regarding whether contact between non-resident fathers and their children has a positive, negative or null effect on child well-being (e.g., Furstenberg, Morgan, & Allison, 1987; King, 1994; Peterson & Zill, 1986). Some of the discrepancies in findings may be due to the inadequacy of most measures to distinguish between positive and negative contact (Halle et al., 1998). However, the research is in general agreement that financial contributions from non-resident fathers are associated with better behavioral, emotional and academic outcomes among children (Furstenberg, Morgan, & Allison, 1987; King, 1994; Knox & Bane, 1994).
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