Integrating Work and Family Responsibilities: Experiences of Fathers of Children with Special Health Care Needs

Abstract

Fathers face increasing demands to engage with family responsibilities without changes to workplace expectations. Research about these changes at home and in the workplace for employed fathers of children with special health care needs (SHCN) is limited, leaving fathers without necessary workplace, family, and community resources to better integrate work and family. An online survey collected data from 122 fathers who lived at least part-time with a child with SHCN under the age of 18 and were employed at least part-time. This study investigated the effects of workplace, family, and community resources on positive and negative work family and family work spillover. Linear regression analyses revealed that access to workplace flexibility was positively correlated with negative work family spillover, and that use of workplace flexibility was positively correlated with negative family work spillover. Support from friends/neighbors was a significant predictor of negative family work and work family, and positive family work spillover. The study’s findings illustrate that fathers of children with SHCN struggle to integrate work and family. Resources in the three micro systems of workplace, family, and community, are utilized by fathers to meet work and family demands. The study also highlights the positive spillover effects related to employment and family care for fathers of children with SHCN.