Despite the considerable growth and advancement in fatherhood research, relatively little is known about the effects of father–child relationship quality on social functioning among children who experience child maltreatment. Applying the strengths-based perspective, the current study sought to examine the association between father–child relationship quality and social functioning (social competence and positive peer relationships) among at-risk children, and to determine whether these associations are moderated by perpetrator type. This study included a sample of 681 US children (age 12 years) drawn from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect. We conducted a series of ordinary least squares multiple regression analyses. Higher-quality father–child relationships were associated with higher levels of social competence (B = 0.19, SE = 0.06, p = .002) and positive peer relationships (B = 0.05, SE = 0.02, p = .005). Significant interaction effects were found. The positive association between father–child relationships and peer relationships was significantly stronger among children with a history of maltreatment perpetrated by fathers with or without mothers (B = 0.16, SE = 0.05, p = .002). Findings highlight the importance of positive father–child relationships in building social resilience among children who experience maltreatment. Practitioners working with youth who are at risk for maltreatment should consider engaging fathers in services to support the development of strong father–child relationships.

尽管父爱研究取得了长足的发展和进步，但人们对父子关系质量对遭受儿童虐待的儿童社会功能的影响知之甚少。应用基于优势的观点，本研究试图检查高危儿童父子关系质量与社会功能（社交能力和积极的同伴关系）之间的关联，并确定这些关联是否受到犯罪者类型的调节。这项研究包括 681 名美国儿童（12 岁）的样本，这些样本来自儿童虐待和忽视的纵向研究。我们进行了一系列普通最小二乘多元回归分析。更高质量的父子关系与更高水平的社交能力 （B = 0.19， SE = 0.06， p = .002） 和积极的同伴关系 （B = 0.05， SE = 0.02， p = .005） 相关。发现了显著的交互效应。在有父亲虐待史的儿童中，父子关系和同伴关系之间的正相关显著增强 （B = 0.16，SE = 0.05，p = .002 ）。 研究结果强调了积极的父子关系在建立遭受虐待的儿童的社会弹性方面的重要性。与有虐待风险的青少年一起工作的从业者应考虑让父亲参与服务，以支持建立牢固的父子关系。