The Infuence of Child Development on Father Absence

Diah Ayu Pitaloka1 , Intan Nur Aini Subandi2 , Tatu Zakiyatun Nufus3

Psychology faculty of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

In this case it can be ascertained that children really need the role of fathers as their example in the development process. Mothers have an important role in parenting, fathers must also take part in parenting. As we know so far, fathers only play a role in providing physical sustenance, but don't forget the inner sustenance that children really need too. Parental care is a major factor in building a child's character. Inequality in the development of emotions and intelligence in children can occur, if one of the two parents is absent. Children who experience fatherless or the absence of a father figure in their lives, have difficulty in forming self-identity and self-confidence. This phenomenon occurs in orphans or children who in their daily lives do not have a close relationship with their father. The absence of these important roles will have an impact on potential challenges in managing their emotions, difficulty forming stable interpersonal relationships, low motivation to learn, their peer interactions can be affected, feelings of anger, shame because they are different from other children, and cannot experience the experience of being together with a father that other children feel. This makes Fatherless children need more attention so that something negative does not happen to them.    

   

Keywords: Fatherless, Father Absence, Emotional Intelligence, Cognitive Intelligence, Achievement Intelligence 

Introduction

Every child have developed in their physical, cognitive, affective and psychomotor. Development occurs very rapidly during early childhood or referred to as the golden age. The developmental period of each child will never be separated from the role of parents as caregivers. The developmental role of parents greatly influences the quality of a child's character in educating, socializing and positively controlling the behavior of their children, such as actively monitoring children and meeting their needs (Rodrigues, Altafim, Pereira, Nogueira, & Schiavo, 2022 In the journal Nurjannah et al, 2023). According to John Bowlby's theory (1982), explaining a child can be supported by an inner relationship attachment and a safe environment in preparing for the future. According to him, the father is a figure who plays a very big role. This has been proven by the significant impact on children's future development due to the lack of a father's role in attachment behavior in children.

A child who loses the role of the father in the development process is called fatherless. This condition occurs when a child has a father but does not play a maximum role in the process, resulting in emotional intelligence and learning achievement in children. The term fatherless is still very unfamiliar to the Indonesian people, they are more familiar with the term brokenhome or single mom. This is due to the fact that developmental literature is dominated by maternal conceptions, resulting in a lack of research that addresses the issue of the father's role in child development. In fact, fatherless has a long impact on child development, especially in terms of emotional intelligence and achievement.

Based on previous research, Purwindarini, et al (2014), said that the involvement of the father's role in the development process greatly affects children's learning achievement. This is similar to the results of research conducted by Wulandari, et al (2023), saying that fatherless results in low learning motivation in children. However, based on the results of research by Wijayanto (2020), said that parents are models for children so that democratic parenting can encourage emotional intelligence in children. The results of this study are supported by the results of research in an Islamic perspective conducted by Muali, et al (2022), saying that emotional intelligence in children is caused by two factors, one of which is external factors that come from the interaction of children and parents. In addition, Kiromi (2023), said that a child who experiences fatherless conditions will experience an imbalance in psychological and moral development in children. Based on these various research results, researchers are interested in examining more broadly the impact of fatherless on child development, especially on the development of emotional intelligence and achievement. 

Literature review

1. The effect of fatherless on child development

Indonesia is the third  fatherless country in the world (Wulandari,. Et Al, 2022). Smith (2023) said that fatherless countries tend not to realize the importance of a father's role in a child's daily life both physically and psychologically, this is due to the patriarchal culture that still dominates in Indonesia. In addition, there are many cases of early marriage, divorce, and pregnancy outside of marriage (Sunesas Data, 2020). So that is the reason for the large number of fatherless cases today. The absence of the father's role in the child's development process will have a negative impact on the cognitive and emotional development of the child (Freeks, 2022). 

1. The Effect of Fatherless on Children's Achievement Intelligence

In cognitive development in children, father involvement in development is one of the factors that influence children's learning achievement. Quoted from research by Puwandiri et al (2023), shows the results that children with high father involvement in development are not necessarily high learning achievement, and children with fatherless conditions in development are not necessarily low learning achievement. This is because fathers are not the only parents who play a role in children's intellectual development. Children's intellectual competence is related to the expression of warmth and positive emotions shown by the mother in parenting. These results are also supported by Khayati's research (2012) which states that father's involvement in development does not always make children have high achievement motivation.

1. The Effect of Fatherless on Children's Emotional Intelligence

In the aspect of emotional intelligence, parents are models for children because based on Bandura's theory (1977), human behavior is formed from an imitation process called the modeling technique from the surrounding environment. Therefore, it is very important to have complete parental involvement in the child's development process. If the child develops in a fatherless condition, the child does not have a father model to imitate. This will affect the child's emotional intelligence because they do not get optimal lessons in independence, self-confidence, and emotional control. Then, when children do not have good emotional intelligence, they will tend to produce negative behavior.

Methodology

This research method uses qualitative methods. Qualitative research methods are an in-depth approach to understanding complex phenomena in their natural context. By emphasizing context and subjectivity, this method provides deep insights to answer complex research questions.

This research was conducted to analyze the phenomenon of the impact of fatherless on child development in Indonesia. The source of data for this research is obtained from research results in the form of final assignments or journals that have previously been researched on the same topic.

Result and finding

Based on the research that has been conducted, it can be concluded that fatherless conditions have a major influence on the process of child development in the psychological or emotional aspects. As a result, children who experience fatherless conditions cannot learn enough independent, confident, and leadership behaviors because these behaviors are generally owned by a father. Meanwhile, mothers generally contribute to the behavioral aspects of affection and so on.

If a child does not get a complete model during their development, it will tend to have a negative impact on the child. For example, lack of confidence and fear in making decisions. When children experience these negative impacts during their development, this will become a long-term problem until adulthood. Because as children get older, there will be more and more decisions that must be made and decided by themselves. If the child is not good at making decisions, the child must be prepared to accept the consequences of mistakes in deciding their choices.

Other findings show that the negative impact of father absence is related to children's ability to control their behavior. In this study, children's emotional control was low. Children often get angry and cry when asking for something. This study is in line with the research of Asy & Ariyanto (2019), that the absence of the father's role affects behavioral and cognitive control. This is supported by the following verbatim.

 "I don't know, my child often gets angry and cries when he asks for something ... well, if he doesn't get it, he gets angry ..." (Mother interview, April 5, 2023).

These findings suggest that the absence of fathers in childcare has negative impacts such as the absence of attachment between children and fathers, suboptimal child independence, and impaired child behavior control.

Fathers also indirectly contribute to children's physical health and psychological well-being when they provide optimal support to their spouses. Husbands who provide emotional support to pregnant wives result in excellent pregnancy conditions and normal labor and healthy children (Teitler, 2001). Horn and Sylvester (2002) state that children who do not live with their fathers mostly experience health problems. Fathers who are involved in parenting are more socially mature (Pleck, 1997), feel more satisfied with their lives (Eggebean & Knoester, 2001), are able to understand themselves and empathize with others, and manage emotions well (Heath, 1994). This involvement creates kinship and close interactions within the extended family (Knoester & Eggebean, 2006). This condition also contributes to the positive participation of fathers in work, thus improving the economic condition of the family (Lerman & Sorensen, 2000). Fathers who are involved in caregiving will influence marital happiness. Marital stability will lead to feelings of happiness even though the marriage has been lived for up to twenty years (Snarey, 1993).

 Meanwhile, in the cognitive aspect, fatherless is not a measure of high achievement. (Purwindari, 2023) learning in children. This is because the mother figure dominates to motivate the development of achievement in children. In fact, many say that a mother is the first school for children. This is based on the experience that children generally spend more time with their mothers because fathers have the responsibility to work and usually can only accompany their children to play and study in their spare time. Nevertheless, it does not mean that the father's role in children's cognitive development is not important, but it will be a complement in achieving achievement if a child has motivation from both parents. 

Therefore, researchers found that fatherless conditions during child development have more influence on the development of emotional intelligence than achievement intelligence. Because basically, a process with complete components will produce something maximum. So, fatherless conditions during child development are not something that can be underestimated. 

Conclusion

Father absence in Indonesia is understood as Fatherless or Father Absence.  The phenomenon of fatherless has a significant impact in Indonesia, focusing on the void in fathers' role and involvement in childcare. Father absence can be physical or psychological, caused by various factors such as divorce, death of the father, or marital relationship problems. The separation of the father's residence from the child, even if the father lives with the child, can result in a lack of father interaction and involvement in parenting. The resolution of divorce issues between parents is key to ending the restriction and disproportionate removal of paternal visitation time by mothers. Awareness of parental duties and roles should be maintained, even after the end of the marriage relationship. Extended family support, such as replacing the father's role with another figure, can help meet children's needs and reduce the negative impact of fatherless on children's development.

This research confirms that the role of fathers has a significant impact on child development. There is an urgent need for the involvement of fathers in the aspect of inner sustenance, in addition to physical sustenance. The absence of a father figure, as in the case of fatherless, can cause an imbalance in the emotional development and intelligence of children. This phenomenon provides an understanding that parental care, especially the role of fathers, is a key factor in the formation of children's character. Therefore, children who experience fatherless need special attention to prevent negative impacts such as difficulty forming self-identity, low motivation to learn, and interpersonal problems.

References

Kiromi, I. (2023). The Impact of Children Raised in Fatherless Families on Moral Intelligence. Zuriah Journal: Journal of Early Childhood Education, 11 - 16.

Muali, C. F. (2022). The Role of Parents in Improving Children's Emotional Intelligence: Factor Analysis and Strategies in Islamic Perspective. Fitrah: Journal of Islamic Education, 85-100.

Nurjannah, N. J. (2023). Fatherless Case Study: The Role of Fathers in Early Childhood Care. Kumara Cendikia Journal, 261-270.

Purwindari, S. H. (2023). The Effect of Father's Involvement in Parenting on School-Age Children's Learning Achievement. Journal of Development and Clinical Psychology, 59-65.

Wijayanto, A. (2020). The Role of Parents in Developing Early Childhood Emotional Intelligence. DIKLUS: Journal of Out-of-School Education, 55-65.

Hidayati, F., Veronika, D. & Karyono. (2011). Father's Role in Childcare. Undip Journal of Psychology, 2-10

Sundari, R.A. & Hedajani, F. (2013). The Impact of Fatherless on Children's Psychological Development. Journal of Parenting National Seminar Proceedings, 256-271