This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by SMITH, H. L. Articles by MORGAN, S. P. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Children's Closeness to Father as Reported by Mothers, Sons and Daughters:

Evaluating Subjective Assessments With the Rasch Model

University of Pennsylvania

S. PHILIP MORGAN

University of Pennsylvania

Mothers' and children's reports of closeness to father are examined using an approach for reconciling discrepant survey responses. This approach is based on a model for the measurement of latent traits. When both mothers and children are asked to report on the closeness of the child to his or her father, tabulations of survey responses show substantial disagreement in the reported evaluation. We adopt a model that explains this disagreement in terms of (a) constant differences between mothers and children, and (b) variability within the sampling population in the actual closeness of father to child. Closeness appears to have an entirely different meaning when fathers are resident than when they are nonresident. But the meaning does not seem to vary (even if feelings do) when the resident father is a stepfather or whether the focal child is a son or a daughter.

Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 15, No. 1, 3-29 (1994)
DOI: 10.1177/019251394015001001


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. S. V. Yuan and H. A. Hamilton Stepfather Involvement and Adolescent Well-Being: Do Mothers and Nonresidential Fathers Matter? Journal of Family Issues, September 1, 2006; 27(9): 1191 - 1213. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. D. Stewart Nonresident Parenting and Adolescent Adjustment: The Quality of Nonresident Father-Child Interaction Journal of Family Issues, March 1, 2003; 24(2): 217 - 244. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. D.R. Evans, J. Kelley, and R. A. Wanner Educational attainment of the children of divorce: Australia, 1940-90 Journal of Sociology, September 1, 2001; 37(3): 275 - 297. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. THORNTON, T. L. ORBUCH, and W. G. AXINN Parent-Child Relationships During the Transition to Adulthood Journal of Family Issues, September 1, 1995; 16(5): 538 - 564. [Abstract]