Child Abuse and Father Figures: Which Kind of Families Are Safest to Grow Up In?

In fairy tales, the stepmother is the enemy, but father surrogates—a man who takes over the functions of the biological father—are often considered a great addition to a family. The conventional wisdom is that children of single mothers, especially boys, need a man in the home to provide a role model. Unfortunately, some studies find that children with a father surrogate living at home are more likely to be reported for maltreatment—abuse and neglect—than those with a biological father at home or, as some research shows, no father figure at all.