Fathers’ autonomy support and social competence of sons and daughters

Relations between paternal autonomy support and four aspects of adolescent social competence and responsibility at age 16 were examined using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. With controls on maternal autonomy support, significant relations were observed between paternal autonomy support and three of the four aspects of social behavior examined for daughters (but not sons). For daughters, the influence of paternal autonomy support was moderated by family conflict for both resistance to peer pressure and responsible behavior. The temperament of daughters moderated the relation between paternal autonomy support and resistance to peer pressure, as well. Findings were interpreted with respect to the dynamics of parent–child relationships and increasing individuation during adolescence.