PATERNAL DEPRIVATION AND THE EFFECTS OF
SEXUAL VALIDATION IN WOMEN
A Thesis
by
LAURA PEREZ
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Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
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in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
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MASTER OF SCIENCE
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August 2003
Major Subject: Psychology
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UMI N um ber: 1415763
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PATERNAL DEPRIVATION AND THE EFFECTS OF
SEXUAL VALIDATION IN WOMEN
A Thesis
by
LAURA PEREZ
Approved as to style and content by:
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Eric L. Reittinger, Ph.D.'
(Chairman of Committee)
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Dorothy-L-Pa&erI>tf.D. les M. Puckett, Ph.D.
(Member) ( ^ n j f o and Head of Department)
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A jl^foM , 'ares.
fan, College of Graduate Studies)
August 2003
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ABSTRACT
Paternal Deprivation and the Effects of
Sexual Validation in Women
(August 2003)
Laura Perez, B. A., Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Chairman of Advisory Committee: Dr. Eric L. Reittinger
The purpose of this study was to examine and assess the effects of father absence on the
daughter’s sexual attitudes and behaviors. One hundred and eighty-three females ranging
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in age from 18-48 years were tested. The mean age was 23.35 (sd = 6.04). Differences
between females with fathers absent and females with fathers present were examined
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using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale, the Fear of Intimacy scale, and a survey
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consisting of 50 questions measuring the daughter’s sexual attitudes and behaviors.
Analyses of the results indicated that reported self-esteem between the two groups was
not significantly different. There was a trend ( p = .067) toward significance in reporting
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an earlier age of sexual intercourse for father absent daughters. Another trend toward
significance was between the two group’s reports of wearing revealing clothing. Twenty
percent of father absent females reported wearing revealing clothing while only 10 % of
father present women did. Another interesting finding was that women whose fathers
were not present reported they felt less comfortable with men ( p = .021) than females
whose fathers were present while growing up. Women whose fathers were present
reported a higher quality relationship with their fathers than those women whose fathers
were absent ( p < .001).
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank God for the emotional and physical strength needed to
complete my education and all the blessings bestowed upon me. I would like to thank
my parents David and Esperanza (Hope) Perez, for teaching me about God and having
faith, for teaching me to respect myself and others, to take responsibility for all my
actions and that all trials and tribulations lead to strength and humility. For their teaching
me to keep my head held high even during the most trying times. For their never ending
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love and support throughout my life. I would like to thank my brother David and my
sister Irene, for their love and respect. I would like to thank my uncle, Antonio
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Arredondo for his love and respect and showing me how to be a kid at heart.
I would like to thank Nancy Jones, my best friend and partner, for her love,
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respect, support and putting up with me when I thought I was “losing it.” Mostly, I
would like to thank my grandmother, the late Margarita Arredondo. She showed me
what it was to be a strong, beautiful independent woman who never gave up even through
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the most difficult times.
Lastly, I would like to thank Dr. Lloyd Dempster, Dr. Jack Rowe and Dr. Eric
Reittinger for making my learning experience a challenge, interesting, and fun. They
taught me all that they know about psychology and what it takes to be the best therapist I
can be.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................... iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT................................................................................................. iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................. v
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION................................... 1
CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................ 4
Paternal Deprivation............................................................................................. 6
Social Interactions with Females.........................................................................10
Sexual Validation.................................................................................................12
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Summary..............................................................................................................15
CHAPTER m . METHOD..............................................................................................17
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Participants..........................................................................................................17
Materials..............................................................................................................17
Procedure.............................................................................................................18
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CHAPTER IV. RESULTS............................................................................................ 19
CHAPTER V. DISCUSSION........................................................................................ 24
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REFERENCES............................................................................................................... 29
APPENDIX A: Consent Form....................................................................................... 32
APPENDIX B: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale............................................................... 33
APPENDIX C: Questionnaire........................................................................................ 34
APPENDIX D: Fear of Intimacy Scale.......................................................................... 37
VITA............................................................................................................................... 40
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A woman’s sense of self-esteem in terms of sexual validation (a method of confirming
one’s sexuality) is largely influenced by the relationship she has with her father. A
father’s absence, when compared to a father’s continuous role in his daughter’s life, can
create an untold number of unresolved issues for many women. Linda Leonard, a
practicing therapist and author, maintains that, “As a therapist, I have discovered that
many other women also suffer from a wounded relationship with their fathers, although
the details may differ and the wound may hurt in a myriad of ways” (Leonard, 1982,
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p.xviii). Two relatively unexplored areas of research are 1) determining if there is a void
created by father absence, and 2) how much attention is needed from the men women
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meet in order to fill this void. The void a woman may feel because of her father’s
absence could possibly lead to her forever longing for him and constantly striving to
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validate her female sexuality through her interactions with other males throughout her
life. Females may not be consciously aware they need males to notice them. To some
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females, this attention seeking behavior cannot be explained. Whether a woman has been
deprived of her father, physically or emotionally, this can affect her belief system and her
views of her personal attitudes and behaviors towards men and ultimately herself.
Leonard (1982) supports the idea that a father’s relationship is important with his
daughter and writes, “As a daughter grows up, her emotional and spiritual growth is
deeply affected by her relationship to her father. He is the first masculine figure in her
life and is a prime shaper of the way she relates to the masculine side of herself and
ultimately to men” ( p. 11).
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Research shows that paternal deprivation definitely affects the self-concept a woman
has (Leonard, 1982). It is important for a girl to have her father interact in social as well
as personal activities throughout her childhood, adolescence and young adulthood.
Tessman (1982) states,
The quality of emotional engagement between father and daughter
frequently remains as a powerful undercurrent giving direction to
that particular vision of happiness which becomes a guiding force
in a woman’s life and affects her perception of the value or futility
of her own efforts in striving toward it. (p.220)
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Most readily available literature on father absence focuses on adolescent boy’s or
girl’s gender identity and their absent fathers, with little or no attention given to the long
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term effects on women’s sexual attitudes and behaviors due to their father’s absence
(Heatherington & Parke, 1999).
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The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of father absence on daughter’s
sexual attitudes and behaviors. Based on research cited in the literature review, I predict
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that women with absent fathers will have a tendency to continuously fill the void her
father left by seeking attention from men. This study specifically seeks to test the
following hypotheses:
1) females with paternal absence will show lower levels of self-esteem compared
to women whose fathers were present,
2) daughters with absent fathers will show an earlier age of sexual intercourse,
3) there will be a higher number of reported sexual partners for those women
whose fathers were absent
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4) there will be a higher fear of intimacy in relationships with those women who
were paternally deprived, and
5) those women with absent fathers will have higher numbers of male intercourse
partners.
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CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
Until recently, the mother-child relationship had always been viewed as being more
important than a father’s presence and his interaction with his children (Biller, 1974;
Lamb, 1976). This is probably due to the beginnings of research on a mother’s
importance and how she affects her children’s lives. Such research includes studies on
how a mother affects her children if she is absent, mothers raising children on her own,
whether or not a boy’s masculinity is affected if he is raised by his mother and so on.
Additionally, father-daughter interactions and relationships have largely been ignored
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(Heatherington, 1972, Heatherington & Parke, 1999; Lamb, 1981). For example, most of
the research exploring the role of the father focuses mainly on father absence and its
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effects on male children’s “masculinity” (Biller, 1974; Lamb, 1976). It is very difficult
finding information on the father-daughter relationship and how this relationship affects
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her later on in life. Almost no attention has been given to paternal deprivation and its
effects on female children and few researchers focus on the long term effects of father
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absence on daughters. In a review of the literature, Michael E. Lamb illustrates the
strong emphasis on the father-son relationship. Lamb (1981), a well known researcher
and expert on the role of the father in child development, analyzed research of the past
few decades and describes that most research in father-child relationships has only
recently begun and focuses mostly on the father’s influence on their male children. More
recently Lamb’s research and interest is on the paternal influences that influence
personality development in children.
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