FATHER-CHILD RELATIONS, MOTHER-CHILD RELATIONS, AND OFFSPRING PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN EARLY ADULTHOOD

The present study, based on a national sample of 471 young adults, fin ds that closeness of fathers makes a unique contribution to offspring happiness, life satisfaction, and psychological distress. Parental div orce weakens the salience of the father-child relationship for adult c hildren's life satisfaction. Similarly, marriage, parenthood, and full -time employment diminish the salience of both the mother-child and th e father-child relationship for offspring well-being. Closeness to ste pfathers is also related to some dimensions of offspring well-being. O verall, these findings suggest that fathers are important figures in t he lives of young adults.