Fathers play a very important role in children’s lives. Not having a father involved in a child’s life can have many ramifications for a child. A recent study suggests it could even impact a child on a cellular level.
The study reviewed data from research involving around 5,000 U.S. children. In this review, the researchers compared the telomere lengths of different children. Telomeres are a protective part of chromosomes. Cellular aging and health are among the things telomere length is believed to indicate.
The researchers found that children who suffered a loss of their father through divorce, separation, incarceration or death at or before age nine tended to have shorter telomeres. Short telomere length has been linked to a range of different health problems for adults in past research.
As this study underscores, whether a father is involved in a child’s life can impact a child in some very fundamental ways. So, when a father gets divorced, one thing that could be very impactful for both father and child is how big of a role that the father thereafter plays in the child’s life following the divorce. Among the things that can have major ramifications regarding what sort of role such a father is able to play in their child’s life moving forward is what happens in the divorce in relation to the issues of child custody and visitation. A skilled Board-Certified expert Family Law attorney can help Texas fathers with working to safeguard their rights and their future ability to maintain a meaningful relationship with their child in child-custody/visitation proceedings and negotiations.
Source: Princeton University, “At the cellular level, a child’s loss of a father is associated with increased stress,” Pooja Makhijani, July 18, 2017