Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare behavioral disorders between fatherless and normal children.

Method: In this ex post facto study, 118 students were randomly selected out of the whole student population of Fasa city (in south west of Iran). Parent’s and teacher’s versions of Rutter’s Behavioral Disorders Ques-tionnaires were assigned to the subjects who consisted of 58 normal children (27 girls, 31 boys) vs. 60 fatherless children (31 girls, 29 boys). Data were analyzed using analysis of variance, Scheffe, t-test and c² test.

Results: The two groups of normal and fatherless children differed significantly in the prevalence of behavioral disorders (p<0.01). Fatherless children were suffering more from the behavioral disorders than the normal kids. In other words, fatherless girl subjects differed significantly in antisocial behavior disorder (p<0.01) and social maladjustment (p<0.01) from fatherless boys, while differences were not significant in other variables (depression-anxiety, hyperactivity, and aggressiveness).

Conclusion: Fatherless children are susceptible to different behavioral disorders.