‘Boomerang Dad’ Better Than None

We’ve long known that dads matter — but now there’s even more proof.

A new study about the impact of “boomerang fathers” — men who cycle in and out of their children’s lives — demonstrates that their presence makes a difference for girls especially.

Related: Why Daughters Need Their Dads So Much

“Boomerang fathering” provided a measure of stability in a daughter’s life that staved off her depressive symptoms compared to those adolescent girls whose fathers were completely absent, according to lead researcher Dr. Daphne Hernandez. Hernandez is an assistant professor with the Department of Health and Human Performance at the University of Houston in Texas.

“Previous research has suggested that stressful experiences, like family instability, father absence, or stepfather presence, contributed to an adolescent experiencing depression,” Hernandez said in a statement. “This is not what happened in the cases of these youth.”

Researchers examined the responses of nearly 4,000 youth who were 18 years old by the year 2010 and of more than 3,300 mothers who took part in the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and the Young Adult. A third of the daughters had unstable father residential patterns — they had never lived with their biological father, or they experienced boomerang fathering (the dad left the family, then returned at some point).

The results show there was no real difference between depression in girls who lived with their biological fathers from birth to 18 years of age and those who lived with boomerang fathers. The sporadic fathering had little impact on depression in adolescent boys. This is an important finding at a time when non-traditional families are more the norm than the exception, the researchers say.

The findings suggest “family instability is more fluid and complex than previously thought, indicating greater family support during times of instability may assist in creating positive mental health,” according to the team.

“We’re finding a new way families might support their children, even though the family has gone through some bad times,” said Hernandez.

The research is something she hopes policy experts, family therapists, and moms and dads pay attention to, said Hernandez.

Each family member has a role in how things play out — sometimes it’s the dad who decides to stay away, sometimes it’s the mom playing gatekeeper, and sometimes it’s the system that plays a role in dividing families in a way that isn’t healthy or necessary.

“We’re finding a new way that families might support their children. Even though the family has gone through some really bad times, having the dad come back has proven to be positive,” Cassandra Dorius, an assistant professor of human development and family studies at Iowa State University, said in a press release.

“In certain situations, moms definitely want dads to be involved and the dad doesn’t feel welcome or doesn’t feel that he’s good enough to be a parent. In other cases, the dad wants to be involved and mom is more of a gatekeeper. Really, mothers and fathers both need to hear this message,” Hernandez told LifeZette.

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The study, “Boomerang Fathers in Adolescent Female Depression,” was published in the National Council on Family Relations, Journal of Marriage and Family. Hernandez worked with researchers from New York University and Iowa State University.