Low-quality father involvement leads sons to invest less in romantic relationships, study finds

A study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science reveals that the quality of paternal investment during childhood significantly influences adult sons’ beliefs about romantic relationships and their willingness to invest in partners.

Parental investment, particularly from fathers, critically shapes children’s psychological and behavioral development. Previous research has established that daughters raised with absent fathers or low-quality paternal involvement develop reduced expectations for male commitment. However, whether sons experience similar effects has been largely unexplored.

Researchers Danielle J. DelPriore and Rebecca Reeder investigated whether lower-quality paternal investment leads sons to believe that men typically invest minimally in relationships and that women require little male commitment. They also examined if these beliefs subsequently reduce sons’ willingness to invest in their own romantic partners, potentially contributing to intergenerational cycles of reduced male involvement.

The researchers recruited 486 heterosexual men aged 18-36 (average age 29) from the United States via Prolific Academic, an online research platform.

The study assessed multiple dimensions, including 1) paternal investment quality: participants rated their fathers’ warmth, supportiveness, and involvement during their first 16 years; 2) father presence: participants reported whether their biological fathers were consistently present or absent during childhood; 3) maternal influence: participants indicated maternal warmth and involvement to determine whether fathers had unique effects beyond mothers’ influence; 4) relationship beliefs: participants completed measures assessing their beliefs about typical male investment in relationships and women’s expectations of commitment, and 5) personal investment willingness: participants answered questions about their own willingness to emotionally commit, spend time with partners, and prioritize relationships.

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The researchers found that the quality of paternal investment significantly influenced sons’ relationship beliefs. Sons who experienced lower levels of warmth and involvement from fathers were more likely to believe that men typically invest minimally in romantic partners, assume women require little commitment from men, and show decreased willingness to invest in their own romantic relationships. Importantly, these patterns persisted even after controlling for father presence/absence, indicating that the emotional quality of paternal involvement matters more than mere physical presence.

Paternal influence remained significant even after accounting for maternal warmth and involvement. While maternal warmth was associated with sons’ general willingness to invest in partners, it did not significantly shape their beliefs about typical male investment or women’s expectations. This suggests fathers play a uniquely important role in transmitting relationship expectations and behaviors across generations.

DelPriore and Reeder also found that sons’ relationship beliefs mediated the connection between paternal investment and their own investment willingness, serving as a psychological pathway linking childhood experiences to adult relationship behaviors.

These findings could inform interventions aimed at breaking intergenerational cycles of low paternal investment.

Of note is that the correlational nature of this research prevents causal conclusions about the impact of paternal investment on sons’ relationship beliefs.

The study, “Quality of Paternal Investment and Adult Sons’ Beliefs About Romantic Relationships” was authored by Danielle J. DelPriore and Rebecca Reeder.