Comparison Study of Affective-Behavioral Disorders and Academic Performance between Fatherless and Normal 7-11 Years Old Children

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to appraise the Affective-Behavioral Disorders and Academic Performance in fatherless and normal 7-11year old children in Tehran.
Method: The method of this study is Ex Post Facto with statistical community of all boys and girls students in Tehran elementary schools. A number of 240 students were randomly selected as the subjects of the study and divided in two groups consists of 120 fatherless and 120 normal children (60 girls and 60 boys in each group). In the next phase, Child Behavioral Check List (CBCL) completed by the mothers of both groups (N=240). The Average end of the students considered as Children Academic Performance. Finally, obtained data by descriptive statistics and t-test of independent samples were analyzed.
Results: The results indicate a significant difference in favor of fatherless students in total score of Affective-Behavioral Disorders, externalized disorders, and internalized disorders. The fatherless students also significantly differed in subscales of affective, anxiety/depression, somatic, and oppositional defiant problems but no significant difference was observed between the two groups in subscales of attention deficit hyperactivity and conduct problems. Furthermore, academic performance of fatherless students was lower than normal students. Gender comparison in the fatherless group showed a significant difference in subscales of anxiety/depression problems in favor of girls and oppositional defiant problems in favor of boys but no significant difference was observed between the two groups in other subscales.
Conclusion: The results indicate that fatherless children are susceptible to various kinds of affective-Behavioral Disorders such as anxiety, Depression, Physical symptoms, and oppositional defiant problems and weakness in academic performance