The missing father. Epidemiological findings on the significance of early absence of the father for mental health in later life

Facing the increasing number of single-parent-families we investigated the impact of fathers absence within the first six years of childhood an psychi c/psychosomatic impairment in later life. We used data from the Mannheim Co hort Study on the Epidemiology of Psychogenic (neurotic spectrum) Disorders for a comparison of extreme groups with a favourable or bad course of clin ical impairment. In addition we performed regression analysis of the long t erm course of clinical impairment for the total follow-up sample (mean foll ow-up intervall 11 years, N= 301) with psychometric, clinical and childhood variables. The absence of the probands father (> sin months within the fir st six years of life) was a significant independend predictor of clinical i mpairment in later life, accompanied by clinical and psychometric variables . A significant and increasing impairment existed even in 73 of 125 older p robands (birth cohort 1935), who missed their father in early childhood. Th e sociopolitical implications of these findings are discussed.