How A Missing Father Affects The Kid’s Mental Health

Nowadays, we can all agree that most marriages end in divorce. But we can’t blame couples for deciding to go on separate ways because many factors impact their relationship. It is out of our jurisdiction to conclude that their divorce is either appropriate or inappropriate because we’re not in their shoes. However, one thing is clear when it comes to a failed marriage. It is the impact of the decision on a kid. There is a tendency for one of the biological parents to become unheeding. Usually, it is the daddy’s involvement that is always ignored in action. So, let’s find out how an absent father affects child’s mental health or cognitive wellness.

A father's absence can negatively impacts the kid's development
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What Is An Absent Father?

An absent father refers to someone who has no contact with their kid. A father’s absence can negatively impact the kids’ development as it comes with a lot of consequences. These include a lack of a role model, insufficient financial support, lots of emotional and mental stress, etc. In some cases, it leads to life-course trauma and other mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. But the overall impact is not limited to that. Here are some of the consequences of having an unheeding biological father in the family.

There Is An Insufficient Standard Of Happiness – A kid with an unheeding father always finds it difficult to understand happiness. In some instances, the kid becomes either insensitive or too sensitive to pain. Honestly, it is no surprise that a kid with an unheeding father often feels dissatisfied and unhappy with everything. According to kid and family policymakers, at some point, the kid does not understand the whole process of appreciating a child’s life. That is due to the incompleteness and lack of personal connection to someone who should be supposed to become a guidance source – the father or mother. There is no physical and emotional security. Well, I am not saying that every kid with an unheeding father grows up dysfunctional. Some somehow manage to live their lives accordingly.

Unlike the single mother or single parent families, the absence of the biological father somehow impacts the kid’s well-being (child development) in a lot of ways. It makes them think about how a single parent acts differently and often creates parent family issues.

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There Is An Issue With Cognitive Skill Development – You might not believe it, but a nonresident father’s involvement can impact a kid’s cognitive function. A study shows that a kid who grows up with an absent father has a more extensive grey matter on the brain. Usually, the grey matter is located in the areas of the brain that control emotions. So when there is an emotional and mental disposition, it means that a kid is not effectively getting the right amount of chemicals to support brain child development. It slows down the kid’s learning progress and somehow ruins the ability to concentrate. It results in a delay in the brain’s maturity, the father’s absence creates a lasting health impact on emotional well-being.

There Is A Risk Of Having A Mental Illness – Well, everyone can agree that having an absent father is a traumatic experience. It can cause severe damage to a kid’s overall mental status because the consequences of an unheeding father last for an extended period. It does not guarantee to heal over time. And even if someone chooses to take the unheeding father’s place, it will not fully support the overall healing progress. The impact that started from early childhood can develop until adulthood. In some unfortunate instances, those without a father in their kids’ lives tend to become more agitated, lonely, isolated, and even depressed. The effects usually last up to adulthood and sometimes, it becomes their foundation to their future family structure.

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There Is A Chance Of Developing Addiction – Most of the time, due to the trauma of having a broken home, the kid engages in inappropriate coping methods in various ways, especially in the adolescent stage. Somehow, it gives the kid a temporary feeling of relief from unwanted emotions. Thus, a kid finds it amusing and self-soothing to smoke cigarettes or weed, drink alcohol, take illegal drugs, engage in non-stop video games, and a lot more. Furthermore, without proper guidance, a kid with emotional issues due to an unheeding father may also develop self-harm addiction or other related cognitive disorders. A kid might view it as an outlet to let the emotional pain out.

There Is The Urgency To Form Sexual And Romantic Relationships – Having an unheeding father, a kid could develop a different ideology about a relationship and engage in multiple romantic and sexual affairs in their adolescent years. Though the complication is relatively low for a teenage boy, it can become a serious issue for a teenage girl. The lack of a fatherly image can make her long for the instant love and affection of someone. Thus, it will put her in a state of searching for a man’s attention to compensate for her absent father. It is damaging for her as it can lead to the possibility of teen pregnancy.

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Takeaway

Understandably, we cannot control any marital issues that will somehow ruin the family structure, but we can always do something to keep our relationship with our parents or kids intact. We should take the unhealthy lessons with us and use them to improve our lives. If we want our kids to become emotionally and mentally stable once they grow up, we should become responsible parents who are always right by their side.

If you need help dealing with things, seek help from a therapist or counselor who has academic and professional qualifications.

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