been proven to transcend beyond individual families to larger societal issues. Studies show that the lack of a positive paternal influence not only has a negative impact on single children but also overall social issues such as the poverty gap amongst generations, crime, and education gap (Edwards, 2020). Communities with high father absence rates frequently suffer from various social and economic difficulties, which are sometimes evidenced in higher rates of people on welfare, juvenile delinquents, and academic underachievers (Edwards, 2020). Promoting the father's involvement in this way is about children's well-being and families and the community's health and resilience. Identifying the overall effect of paternal parenting highlights the significance of implementing strategies and programs that encourage and support fathers in their parenting role and promote healthy father-child relationships. In addition, various social transformations have taken place, including those connected to family structures, gender roles, parenthood, and caregiving that have reassessed the traditional ideas of fatherhood. Fathers are more recognized as active and participatory caregivers who occupy multiple roles, such as providers beyond the regular breadwinners' role. This redraws the need to look comprehensively into the detailed subject of paternal participation. Next, it should be established how it affects the development of children (Edwards, 2020). Through the study of the role of father's involvement in cognitive, emotional, social, and academic domains of child development, researchers can formulate relevant policies and interventions to uplift and empower fathers and improve the welfare of children and families. Exploring the Negative Impacts on a Child's cognitive, emotional, social development, and academic performance Firstly, the cognitive development of children whose fathers are not present in the family is negatively affected by the home environment and parenting style, as well as the engagement in high-risk behaviors. The absence of a father's guiding hand and support could have a detrimental cognitive effect on the child's development, with a high possibility that the child will end up doing risky behaviors that can further block the opportunity of intellectual development. Research shows that children who are not living in positive relation with their fathers have a greater chance to be part of groups that engage in behaviors that are risky and dangerous such as theft, gang activities, early sex, and substance abuse (Amodia-Bidakowska et al., 2020). Although these actions affect the short-term benefits of the learner, they later on slow down the cognitive development as energy and attention are diverted away from the classroom work and brain stimulation. This could cause a child to grow up in a fatherless home and develop a cognitive deficit which is lack of knowledge that can be a barrier to independent thinking and problem solving which are important both at school and in person's life. Furthermore, the father's gap may lead to a deficiency of structure and discipline in a child's life, causing a major impediment in cognitive development. In British cohort studies synthesis by Harkness et al.(2019), findings show that fathers often perform a pivotal function in setting limits, structuring the routine, and providing directions for children, strengthening their discipline and self-control or self-regulation. In the absence of a father, children may lack structure and consistency in their lives; hence, they find it difficult to concentrate on academic tasks and be involved in themselves intellectually (Harkness et al., 2019). The lack of structure can result in mind and behavior disorganization, thus, learning and achievement are stagnated. Additionally, the lack of positive paternal presence can result in emotional stress and instability that may, in turn, affect cognitive abilities negatively. Some scientists argue that these children do not have the father figure in their lives may result in emotions like loneliness, abandonment, rejection, and insecurity which cause stress and anxiety which hinders clear thinking (Rodrigues et al., 2021). It is cortisol (stress hormone) too that acts adversely when excess production occurs over prolonged periods, disrupting brain growth and dismantling cognitive functions, leading to poor memory, attention, and reasoning abilities. Therefore, a number of detrimental outcomes for cognitive development will come into place, which will eventually make the youth vulnerable to risky conducts and failures in their academic and personal achievements. Besides, without a father crown, the child will emotionally end up suffering more mental problems and illnesses onset. The absence of a father in the life of a child may lead to a variety of emotional consequences that may impose different psychological issues on them like anxiety, depression, and low self-confidence. Those who are raised without their fathers can attach anxiously to others being related with emotions of rejection and abandonment; these can also act as anxiety disorders, which are present in individuals who are characterized by excessive worries and fear. Not being able to have an emotionally available father, especially in structured families, may increase the stress and insecurity levels of children, also as it was shown in other studies (Amodia-Bidakowska et al., 2020). Furthermore, the lack of father's role in one's life can create an impression of uncertainty and insecurity because one cannot determine what will happen next, therefore, the child cannot be able to adapt to this condition. The results of a systemic review and meta-analysis by Manuele et al.(2023) was presented, which states that the presence of a father figure is crucial in the life of fatherless children as it also minimizes the risk of child depression. Additionally, the depression rate has much increased because of the fatherless environment. “Findings indicated a unique role of maternal overprotection in the prediction of child anxiety symptoms. For other parenting behaviors, largely similar associations were found for maternal and paternal parenting behaviors with child and adolescent anxiety, depressive symptoms and broader internalizing problems” (Manuele et al., 2023). Research has demonstrated that children growing up in homes without fathers have problems with depressed moods (e.g., persistent sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest in activities) more frequently than children from two-parent families. Even without a father who provides love and care emotionally, many children may be socially disconnected and emotionally distressed, which may trigger depression. Also, the children will be struggling with the idea that they are not clever or even with no importance to others, which might make them feel dissatisfied and unable to create a wholesome concept of themselves. As for self-esteem and identity crises, they are problems that are very usual for the children who are brought up without a father role in the family. In a longitudinal study by Krauss et al. (2020), the results that were found were that boys who were lacking the qualified male role models tend to build self-systems that are adequate in worth and identity, since they do not feel that are truly valued or cared for enough unless the father's approval is there. Such consequence is a pervasive self-doubt and low self-worth, which can show up in various life-related areas, from interpersonal relationships and studying to future ambitions. In addition to this, when the father is absent, it prevents a boy from discovering all the right processes of handling life developmental challenges and achieving his goals in life. As a result, the boy tends to have confusion and doubt regarding his identity and his place in the world. In general, the role of a father can be deeply impacting on a child mentally, whether for long-term or short-term well-being, thus increasing their sensitivity to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and personality issues. Additionally, the absence of a father figure is associated with poor social skills among children. The lack of a father figure will affect a child's development of social skills that are necessary for their psycho-social development, which may result in friendships and relationship problems. Rodrigues et al.'s (2021) meta-analytic review shows that fathers are responsible for demonstrating their children's desired social behaviors and communication skills through their way of interacting and communicating with them. The existence of a father gives his children a good sample. Their absence may mean that a child may not have the right social cues and social strategies that are required to have a seamless social activity. Consequently, this is likely to be challenges for them to acquire maturity, cooperation and conflict resolution which are needed when creating relationships with other peers and adults. The other thing, too, is that children tend to ignore the father’s social expectation because they do not know their fathers well. Yoon and their colleagues (2021) emphasize the meaning that fathers can interpret social cues and enable a child to understand about the consequences of their actions. They, therefore, give the way for the young people who accept the socialization by enabling them to understand how to socialize positively. In the absence of a father figure, children may not be comfortable of being themselves in the society leading to them being reclusive or withdrawn when they feel insecure as a protective mechanism. This procedure, in practice, just worsens their internal conflict over friendly relations and makes schoolchildren unable to find and sustain solid relationships with their peers. Also, the loss of a father's role makes it harder for children to develop a strong level of self-esteem and self-confidence, which are needed for successful social life. Those children who lack the support of parental guidance can develop high levels of insecurity coupled with low self-esteem, which impair their ability to be confident in social interactions or assert what they need or want (Rodrigues et al., 2021). “Paternal sensitivity was not associated with children’s overall socioemotional functioning (N = 2,924; k = 24; r = −.03) or internalizing problems, but it was associated with children’s emotion regulation (k = 7; r = .22) and externalizing problems (k = 19; r = −.08)”. It, in turn, results in the difficulties experienced by people with such personalities to build positive relationships with peers and adults, as they might be hesitant to be themselves and set boundaries. On the whole, the lack of paternal direction can be quite harmful to a child's social development thus impeding the development of their social skills facilely. The child may face problems of relationship formation, understanding of social norms, and proper social conduct among peers. In fact, studies show that children without positive paternal influence are at greater risk of poor academic performance. In a cross-national perspective study by Liu & Hannum (2023), the results demonstrate that children who do have positive male role models indeed have higher chances of experiencing poor academic performance throughout their school life. Children from father-absent homes have repeatedly been shown to score lower on tests, indicating gaps in academic performance in comparison with their peers who have involved fathers. The lack of a father figure may hinder children from receiving necessary educational assistance, counseling, and motivation, thereby affecting their attitude to learning and academic performance positively. The lack of a father figure to create accountability and ambition can cause children to perform below expectations in school. Additionally, adolescents with negative paternal role models tend to struggle more with completing high school and pursuing higher education. Research has proved that teenagers from father-absent backgrounds are at a higher risk of school dropout than those with active fathers (Liu & Hannum, 2023). “Students separated from both parents are most academically disadvantaged, while those living separately from mothers are usually more disadvantaged than those living without fathers. In households with co-resident grandparents and in national contexts conducive to multi-generational or extended family co-residence, disadvantages associated with father-absent and dual-parent-absent households attenuate. Academic disadvantages associated with parental absence attenuate as national emigration exceeds immigration” (Liu & Hannum, 2023). This then affects their academic attainment and prospects. The lack of the father's direction and support during significant academic transitions may result in children being disoriented about their education and detached from their academic pursuits. Eventually, they may drop out of school and not pursue post-secondary education. Also, the absence of a positive fatherly role is associated with a decrease in the interest of children to attend college and pursue education. Fathers generally contribute more to developing their children's educational aspirations and ambitions by asking them to work hard for academic achievements and, subsequently, higher education opportunities. In their systematic review, Diniz et al. (2021) report that unlike one being brought up by a mentor father, one lacking a father figure might have low self-esteem and thus lack the initiative to pursue advanced academic paths, thereby limiting his ratings for both personal and professional growth. By implication, lack of positive paternal impact can have long term effects on an educational journey, which could be manifested in a child's education attainments and prospects for success. Conclusion In conclusion, the effects of paternal involvements are diverse and extensive, from emotions, cognition, and social settings to academics. This study aimed to illuminate the negative effects of an absentee father on a child's life, concentrating on cognitive development, emotional state, and academic achievements. The development of children is a caring process, carried out between fathers and children in the different spheres of their lives, like support, guiding, and encouragement. It assists in development of the children that comprise overall health, emotional and mental well-being and life success. This research illustrate that the community cannot undermine the significance of involving fathers in parenting and creating better supportive systems for fathers in achieving desired outcomes and fostering good father-child relationships. Properly focusing the attention of the world on the part that fathers play in the rearing of children helps us discover how families function, and allows us to serve the children and better the community.     References Amodia-Bidakowska, A., Laverty, C., & Ramchandani, P. 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