A Comparative Study of Academic Achievement, Social Skills, Autonomy: College-Aged Males With or Without Their Biological Fathers

There is a growing problem in today’s society of children growing up in father-less households. One demographic at risk is young developing males who grow up without their biological father due to incarceration, divorce, separation, and death. This can affect the cognitive development of child which can lead to the decline of social, academic, and self regulation capacities. Once this young man enters college, he must exercise these capacities to the best of his abilities in order to succeed. This research study provided an overview of the issue of absent fathers on their sons and their long-term effect on their cognitive development. This research attempted to find a correlation between the absenteeism of one’s biological father and the decline of one’s ability to thrive in a highly stressful environment that requires one to live autonomously away from home. Sixty seven participants completed the survey. The data was then analyzed by comparing the results based on the comparison of the two populations of young males and the presence of their fathers. The results did not support the hypothesis but did reveal that more knowledge be done on the stress levels and professional help used by collegian males who grew up with an absent father