Patrilocal Residence and Father–Child Resemblance Beliefs in Relation to Paternal Investment

Abstract

Objective. The present study investigated the moderating effect of patrilocality—whether a child's mother lives with paternal grandparents—on the relation between father–child resemblance belief and paternal investment. Design and Results. On the basis of 341 children and their parents from rural China, belief in paternal resemblance was found to be related to higher paternal warmth toward the child, higher paternal marital satisfaction, and stronger relations of perceived paternal autonomy granting and paternal psychological control to child life satisfaction. The differences between high and low paternal resemblance beliefs were attenuated by patrilocality. Conclusions. These findings demonstrate the compensatory roles of paternal resemblance belief (a behavioral adaptation) and patrilocal residence (a cultural adaptation) in serving the same function of calming paternity uncertainty and procuring paternal investment to children.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by an Earmarked Research Grant (CUHK4620/05H) of the Research Grants Council, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, to Lei Chang.