The Influence of Father Involvement on Their Children’s Self-Esteem in the Arab World

Abstract

To understand the role of Arab fathers in raising their children, which remains understudied, this study analyzed different forms of father involvement during childhood and their relationship with children’s self-esteem during adult life. Drawing on a larger study on father involvement, data were collected from 2,170 respondents across ten countries in the Arab world, consisting of questionnaires about their relationships with their fathers and life history interviews focusing on father involvement. Regression analyses indicated a statistically significant positive relationship between nurturing father involvement, socioeconomic status (SES), and self-esteem, while psychological control showed a statistically significant negative association with self-esteem. Further analysis, differentiating between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and non-GCC countries, revealed that SES has a stronger relationship with self-esteem in non-GCC countries than in the resource-rich GCC countries.