Fathering Practices Research Articles

Translating discovery science: White fathers' racial socialization practices with their biological Black biracial sons

AbstractObjectiveTo examine the racial socialization practices of White fathers with their biological Black and White biracial sons.BackgroundSocializing children of color to live in a society where they may experience discrimination is an essential part of parenting. This may be challenging for White fathers with Black biracial sons because of their different lived experiences, which can be harmful to their sons.MethodA phenomenological approach was used to conduct 10 in‐depth, semistructured interviews with a sample of White fathers with biological Black biracial sons. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.ResultsFour racial socialization practices were identified: (a) talking to son about his racial/cultural heritages, (b) exposing son to his racial/cultural heritages, (c) exposing son to environments that are diverse, and (d) talking to son about discrimination.ConclusionFamily professionals can work with White fathers to help them overcome any challenges they may encounter to socialize their Black biracial sons to navigate society as a man of color.ImplicationsFamily practitioners and school personnel can promote and encourage the attendance of parenting programs that focus on discussing discrimination with children and strategies parents can use to develop a healthy multiracial identity in children. Religious leaders can encourage diversity with International Day celebrations and facilitate discussions with congregants about racial inequality.

Introducing dadness

ABSTRACT Based on interviews and a focus group with fathers 1 who attended four dads’ groups in the South of England, this paper introduces the concept of ‘dadness’. Dadness is in circulation in the public sphere and has been noted in a handful of published sources, yet it has not received academic attention. This article conceptualizes ‘dadness’ and presents it as a useful concept within contemporary fatherhood and family studies, as well as noting the term’s accessibility. The term dadness is understood by men in this study as combining their individual fathering identity and their values about the fathering role, with actual day-to-day fathering practices. Interpretation of the data infers eight aspects of dadness that draw together existing conceptualizations of fathering and fatherhood in terms of accessibility, engagement and responsibility; ‘active fathering’; warmth, positive engagement activities, decision-making, responsiveness, care; intimacy; and embodiment. Dadness describes both how men think about fatherhood and enact their fathering practices, and is accessible (it is a term men readily understand and feel able to use). This article invites a debate about whether the concept of dadness has a wider potential outside of the specific context of a small-scale study in southern England.

“You Have to Humanize Your feelings:” Black fathers’ Reflections on How Youth Violence Prevention and Perpetration Influence Their Overall Health and Fathering Practices

ABSTRACT In Baton Rouge, LA, and nationally, youth violence is a serious public health problem affecting the lives of community members. Fortunately, Black fathers have responded to the urgent call to prevent youth violence in Louisiana. In 2021, the SUPPORT project was launched to unearth stories of Black fathers’ prevention practices and interventions. Since relationships are embedded within and across various systems, the Social-Ecological Model for Violence Prevention was applied to a semi-structured interview approach to investigate two aims with 12 Black fathers from Baton Rouge: (1) how their experiences with youth violence influence their mental and social health, and their children’s violence exposure, and (2) the benefits of addressing youth violence. Using Braun and Clarke’s (2021) thematic analysis, the three major themes that emerged related to Black fathers’ history with violence were: (1) self-reflexive moments on lessons learned, (2) the impacts of victimization and bullying, and (3) socioemotional responses to youth violence. Related to the second aim, the salutary impact on the neighborhood and improvement of the school community were the major themes that emerged regarding the perceived benefits of addressing youth violence. These findings demonstrate that interviewees are cognizant of how their history of violence led to maladaptive coping mechanisms in response to youth violence and influenced their fathering ideologies; moreover, they were concerned with familial betterment. Further research is needed to deepen understanding of how Black fathers’ socioemotional responses to youth violence impact their wellness and fathering practices as their children mature.

‘We Hold on and Have Patience’: Perspectives and Experiences of Migrant Fathers in Belgian Asylum Centres

ABSTRACTOn arrival in the European Union, most migrants who apply for asylum stay often for extended periods of time in asylum centres, putting parenting practices under pressure. Despite an increased interest in the functioning of migrant families, the perspectives of migrant fathers remain marginalized in practice, policy, and scientific research. Very little is known about how migration impacts fathering practices and how migrant fathers may best be supported in their parental role, especially in unique parenthood contexts such as when residing in an asylum centre. This paper aims to explore migrant fathers' parental practices, experiences, and perspectives while raising their children in an asylum centre in Belgium. Semi‐structured interviews with 21 fathers in asylum centres were conducted. The findings were thematically analysed. The analysis shows that staying in an asylum centre challenged fathers' ability to fulfil paternal tasks and responsibilities such as ensuring safe accommodation, providing food, fulfilling material needs, and bringing their children to school. Different coping strategies such as seeking (in)formal support and problem‐solving were expressed to answer the daily challenges and resist existing reception structures. For most fathers, the roles of provider and protector were the most important. We argue that migrants' unique voices, experiences, and understandings remain left unheard in the organization and the practical implementation of asylum reception initiatives, limiting support for fathers in these institutions and hindering the enjoyment of their roles as fathers during adverse and stressful periods.

The transnational fathering practices of deported men in El Salvador

AbstractDrawing on qualitative research conducted in El Salvador, the author examines the transnational fathering practices of Salvadoran immigrant men who were deported from the United States. By using a transnational fathering practices conceptual model, the author was able to examine the transnational fathering practices of deported men in El Salvador who had children in the U.S. This study revealed the harmful effects of U.S. immigration policies and enforcement practices on Salvadoran transnational families. The author focused on three key areas including deported father's (1) role in providing financially for their transnational families, (2) their efforts in maintaining their transnational family networks, and (3) their communication with transnational family members via information technology. First, Salvadoran fathers in this study shared their experiences attempting to provide financially for their transnational families. Secondly, deported fathers shared their desire to keep their transnational families together, their attempt to restore their strained relationships with their children, and recover from past traumas within their parent‐child relationships. Lastly, Salvadoran fathers reported using technology to communicate with their transnational families. This study provides insight into the issues that transnational fathers and their children experience and the need for new policies to support family reunification efforts.

Fathers' unmodulated prosody in child-directed speech.

Mothers and fathers modify prosodic characteristics of child-directed speech relative to adult-directed speech. Evidence suggests that mothers and fathers may differ in how they use child-directed speech as communicative partners. Thus, fathers create communicative challenges during father-child interaction that facilitate the child's adaptation to a wider potential range of interlocutors. In this paper, speech production differences are examined between mothers and fathers in child-directed speech to toddlers as compared to adult-directed speech. Using a longitudinal, large-scale design of audio recordings in naturalistic environments and automatic speech processing techniques, it was found that mothers, but not fathers, increased their fundamental frequency when addressing their toddlers. The results suggest that fathers do not modulate the prosody of their speech in the same way as mothers when communicating with their toddlers. Findings have implications for emotional and communicative practices of fathers compared to mothers and the differential role each plays in child development.

Parenting practices and adolescents’ mental health: Serial mediation by parental acceptance and adolescents’ grit

ABSTRACT This quantitative cross-sectional study assessed the serial mediation effect of perceived parental acceptance and adolescents’ grit on the relationship between effective parenting practices and adolescents’ mental health. A total of 761 school-going adolescents (468 females; aged 13–18 years) from the Klang Valley area were recruited using purposive sampling method. They completed the Perceived Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire, Short Grit Scale, Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. PROCESS macro analysis revealed that the relationship between paternal and maternal effective parenting practices and adolescents’ mental health were independently mediated by both perceived parental acceptance and adolescents’ grit. This shows that effective parenting practices used by fathers and mothers help in reducing adolescents’ mental health issues as effective parenting is perceived as a form of acceptance and is able to improve grittiness in adolescents. Moreover, a serial mediation analysis found that higher usage of effective parenting practices in fathers and mothers are perceived for higher acceptance, contributing to higher grittiness, which then lowers mental health issues in adolescents. Our results suggest that organizations and individuals involved with adolescents should actively promote the adoption of effective parenting techniques by both mothers and fathers to enhance the mental well-being of adolescents.

Fathering Here, Fathering There… A Phenomenological Study of the Impact of Forced Migration and Resettlement on Syrian Refugee Fathers in Canada

Refugee fathers have been largely ignored by family researchers and service providers. This article presents an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) of data from semi-structured interviews conducted between November 2020 and March 2021 with 17 Syrian refugee fathers resettled in Canada. The interviews focused on the meanings refugee men gave to fatherhood, their fathering practices, and the sense they made of their experience of being a Syrian refugee father in Canada. This article highlights how Syrian fatherhood is shaped by cultural norms of the home country as well as by religious beliefs. However, participants’ definitions of fatherhood as head of the household, primary breadwinners and decisionmakers in the family, holding unique positions both within their families and in their communities, shifted during the resettlement process. Following resettlement, these meanings were revisited and redefined. Hyper-fatherhood and adjusted fatherhood practices are new types of fatherhood that emerged during resettlement for Syrian refugees.

Fathers in Europe: Policies, constructions and practices. Introduction to the Special Collection

Objective: To introduce the readers to the Journal of Family Research’s Special Collection about fatherhood-related political frameworks, social constructions of fatherhood and masculinity, and practices of fathers in Europe. Background: Fatherhood research has proliferated in recent decades and reflects that paternal involvement is closely linked to national policies, to prevailing social normative understandings of fatherhood, and also varies in practice. Method: Except for the review article, the contributions of this Special Collection draw on empirical data, including quantitative analyses of large-scale data, such as the European Social Survey, the QUIDAN-Survey, and the DJI “Growing up in Germany” survey, and qualitative analyses of in-depth interviews. Results: The six contributions vary in focus and illustrate a wide range of approaches to the understanding of fatherhood constructions and practices as well as the political frameworks that shape contemporary fatherhood in Europe. The contributions study fatherhood in the context of the transition to parenthood, parenting practices, the composition of working environments as well as in social work practice. Conclusion: The discussion of fatherhood constructions and practices as well as related political frameworks is crucial to understanding which social conditions facilitate and hinder father involvement in Europe.

Labour markets, families and public policies shaping gender relations and parenting: Introduction to the Special Issue

Objective: This article introduces the reader to the Special Issue "Labour markets, families and public policies shaping gender relations and parenting" and gives a theoretical and empirical overview of gender roles and gender equality in Europe. Background: This Special Issue analyses the connection between labour markets, families, social policy, and gender relations in several European countries. Method: The six included articles are based on qualitative and quantitative approaches and data that have been gathered in Finland, Norway, Poland, Spain, and across the entire EU. Results: Key findings are: (1) In less egalitarian countries, children of single parents suffer more nutritional, educational and social life deprivation. (2) The institutional design of parental leave can contribute to reproducing gender inequality in the use of leave. (3) The institutional design interacts with cultural norms in shaping fatherhood practices of migrant fathers. (4) Individualised, performance-based wage and career schemes can counteract the effects of gender-equalising family policies. (5) Fathers taking leave independently from the mother and for an extended period are more involved in childcare beyond the leave period, and (6) the use of longer unpaid parental leave by mothers leads to a more unequal distribution of childcare between the parents. Conclusion: This Special Issue highlights that even in the most egalitarian countries, there remain persistent challenges to achieving gender equality regarding labour market, institutions and family life.

Importance-performance analysis(IPA) on the fathering practices perceived by mothers with young children

본 연구의 목적은 영유아기 자녀를 둔 어머니가 지각한 아버지 역할수행에 대한 중요도와 실행도 인식의 차이를 알아보고, IPA 분석을 통해 실행도를 높이기 위한 지원 방향을 사분면의 속성에 따라 도출하여 아버지 교육 프로그램의 기초자료로 활용하고자 한다. 이를 위해 서울지역에 소재한 영유아교육기관 6곳에 다니고 있는 만 0세~만 5세 영유아기 자녀를 둔 어머니 352명을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하였다. 연구결과 첫째, 영유아기 자녀를 둔 어머니가 지각한 아버지 역할수행의 중요도는 실행도보다 높은 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 영유아기 자녀를 둔 어머니가 지각한 아버지 역할수행에 대한 중요도-실행도 분석(IPA) 결과 현상유지영역에는 자녀와의 상호작용, 자녀 양육의 역할, 자녀 부양의 역할, 자녀에 대한 사랑, 중점관심영역에는 자녀에 대한 이해, 점진개선영역에는 자녀 양육의 일관성, 남편의 역할, 자녀 교육의 역할, 초과달성영역에는 위치하는 하위요인이 없는 것으로 나타나 가장 우선적으로 자녀에 대한 이해 요인에 지원이 필요함을 시사한다.The purpose of this study is to find out the difference in perception of importance and performance of the role of fathering practices by mothers with young children, and to derive supporting directions through IPA analysis. For data, a survey was conducted on 352 mothers with children aged 0 to 5 years old attending early childhood education institutions(daycare center & kindergarten) located in Seoul. As a result of the study, firstly, it was found that the importance of fathering practices perceived by mothers with young children was higher than the that of performance. Secondly, Importance-Performance Analysis(IPA) results showed that there were interaction with children, role of child rearing, role of child support, love for child in the ‘Keep Up The Good Work’ area. In the areas of ‘Concentrate Here’, there was an understanding of child, and in the areas of ‘Low Priority’, there was consistency in raising child, role of a husband, and the role of child education. And it was found that there were no sub-factors located in the area of ‘Possible Overkill’. This suggests that efforts to improve ‘understanding of child’ should be considered first in order to improve the fathering practices.

Redefining Fatherhood in a Migratory Context: A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of African First-time Fathers in Belgium.

Many African fathers face practices in their host countries that conflict with the conceptions of fatherhood in their countries of origin. They deal with negative stereotypes, including notions of paternal irresponsibility when it comes to embracing child care. This article looks at how exposure to the Belgian norms of fatherhood may redefine the fatherhood practices of African first-time fathers residing in Belgium. Drawing on a qualitative narrative approach, this article explores the perceptions and experiences of African migrant fathers in Belgium and examines how they adapt to a different fathering culture. The findings show that while African first-time fathers acknowledged their primary role as providers, they also embraced new practices that transgress defined gender lines in African culture. In the absence of a larger family support network, respondents face the responsibility of providing prenatal and postnatal support and sharing in child care responsibilities. Findings also shed light on how African fathers with European partners engage in shared decision-making and negotiate on core African values such as male circumcision.

Module intervention to improve involvement and practices of fathers towards infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in Coastal South India - a randomized controlled trial

Background: Overall child health depends on nutrition and its related practices. At the family level, responsibility of child feeding lies with both parents.There is no uniform and systematic way to determine and assess the practices of fathers in infant and young child feeding (IYCF). Also, there is a paucity of evidence related to interventions for fathers in improving their practices and involvement in the feeding of their infant or young child (aged less than two years). Methods: This was a community-based randomized control trial, conducted among 120 fathers with infants and/or young children in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka. Fathers with poor level of involvement and practices towards IYCF, during the initial assessment, were included as the study participants. For the intervention, a module in the flipchart format was developed. Simple randomization technique was used to allot the participants into two groups - intervention and control. Participants in the intervention group received module intervention, in addition to the care which they received routinely, and the control group received only routine care. The participants in the intervention group were paid a monthly visit to implement the module, for six months. The post-intervention assessment was done at the end of 6 months. Results: A total of 117 participants provided post-intervention data.The mean age was 34.7 (+/- 5.48) years in the intervention group and 34.36 years (+/- 5.26) in the control group. The intervention group showed significantly higher improvement in knowledge, attitude, and practice components at 6 months (p<0.05), in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Conclusions: The extent of increase in practice and involvement in child feeding was clearly higher among the intervention group.The module developed was successful in improving the practices of fathers in feeding their infants and young children. Clinical Trials Registry India: CTRI/2017/06/008936 (29/06/2017).

Module intervention to improve involvement and practices of fathers towards infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in Coastal South India - a randomized controlled trial

Background: Overall child health depends on nutrition and its related practices. At the family level, responsibility of child feeding lies with both parents. There is no uniform and systematic way to determine and assess the practices of fathers in infant and young child feeding (IYCF). Also, there is a paucity of evidence related to interventions for fathers in improving their practices and involvement in the feeding of their infant or young child (aged less than two years). Methods: This was a community-based randomized control trial, conducted among 120 fathers with infants and/or young children in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka. Fathers with poor level of involvement and practices towards IYCF, during the initial assessment, were included as the study participants. For the intervention, a module in the flipchart format was developed. Simple randomization technique was used to allot the participants into two groups - intervention and control. Participants in the intervention group received module intervention, in addition to the care which they received routinely, and the control group received only routine care. The participants in the intervention group were paid a monthly visit to implement the module, for six months. The post-intervention assessment was done at the end of 6 months. Results: A total of 117 participants provided post-intervention data. The mean age was 34.7 (+/- 5.48) years in the intervention group and 34.36 years (+/- 5.26) in the control group. The intervention group showed significantly higher improvement in knowledge, attitude, and practice components at 6 months (p<0.05), in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Conclusions: The extent of increase in practice and involvement in child feeding was clearly higher among the intervention group. The module developed was successful in improving the practices of fathers in feeding their infants and young children. Clinical Trials Registry India: CTRI/2017/06/008936 (29/06/2017)

Daily variability in mothers' and fathers' feeding practices and associations with children's eating behaviors

The current study explores daily variability in maternal and paternal pressuring, restrictive, and structure-related feeding practices and their associations with child energy regulation and food refusal. Multilevel models were run separately for mothers and fathers to understand these associations, as well as within a dyadic framework to account for the interdependence of partners. One hundred families with at least one child between 3- to 5-years old participated by completing seven days of daily diaries. Results suggest there is daily variability in feeding practices for mothers and fathers and children's energy regulation and food refusal. Mothers' daily reports (within family variability) suggested that on days when mothers used more pressure and less structure than usual, children showed more food refusal. Fathers' daily reports suggested that on days when fathers used more pressure or less structure, children showed less energy regulation. On average across the week (between family variability), maternal pressure and restriction was related to child energy regulation. Dyadic multilevel models suggested that fathers' daily feeding behavior was associated with child eating behavior, while mothers' pressure and restrictive feeding on average across the week was a better predictor of between family variability in child eating behavior. For provision of support or structure during feeding, maternal structure was related to less father-reported energy regulation and paternal structure was related to more father-reported energy regulation. The results highlight the necessity of considering both mothers' and fathers' behaviors from day-to-day to get a more authentic picture of the family feeding relationship.

Module intervention to improve involvement and practices of fathers towards infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in Coastal South India - a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Overall child health depends on nutrition and its related practices. At the family level, responsibility of child feeding lies with both parents.There is no uniform and systematic way to determine and assess the practices of fathers in infant and young child feeding (IYCF). Also, there is a paucity of evidence related to interventions for fathers in improving their practices and involvement in the feeding of their infant or young child (aged less than two years). Methods: This was a community-based randomized control trial, conducted among 120 fathers with infants and/or young children in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka. Fathers with poor level of involvement and practices towards IYCF, during the initial assessment, were included as the study participants. For the intervention, a module in the flipchart format was developed. Simple randomization technique was used to allot the participants into two groups - intervention and control. Participants in the intervention group received module intervention, in addition to the care which they received routinely, and the control group received only routine care. The participants in the intervention group were paid a monthly visit to implement the module, for six months. The post-intervention assessment was done at the end of 6 months. Results: A total of 117 participants provided post-intervention data.The mean age was 34.7 (+/- 5.48) years in the intervention group and 34.36 years (+/- 5.26) in the control group. The intervention group had a significant improvement in knowledge, attitude, and practice components at 6 months. We noted higher change scores for the intervention group (p<0.05). Conclusions: The extent of increase in practice and involvement in child feeding was clearly higher among the intervention group.The module developed was successful in improving the practices of fathers in feeding their infants and young children. Clinical Trials Registry India: CTRI/2017/06/008936 (29/06/2017).

Parents of young infants report poor mental health and more insensitive parenting during the first Covid-19 lockdown

BackgroundThe Covid-19 pandemic has put an unprecedented pressure on families with children. How parents were affected by the first Covid-19 lockdown during the early postpartum period, an already challenging period for many, is unknown.AimTo investigate the associations between Covid-19 related stress, mental health, and insensitive parenting practices in mothers and fathers with young infants during the first Dutch Covid-19 lockdown.MethodsThe Dutch Covid-19 and Perinatal Experiences (COPE-NL) study included 681 parents of infants between 0 and 6 months (572 mothers and 109 fathers). Parents filled out online questionnaires about Covid-19 related stress, mental health (i.e. anxiety and depressive symptoms), and insensitive parenting. Hierarchical regression models were used to analyze the data.ResultsParents of a young infant reported high rates of Covid-19 related stress, with higher reported stress in mothers compared to fathers. Additionally, the percentages of mothers and fathers experiencing clinically meaningful mental health symptoms during the pandemic were relatively high (mothers: 39.7% anxiety, 14.5% depression; fathers: 37.6% anxiety, 6.4% depression). More Covid-19 related stress was associated with more mental health symptoms in parents and increased insensitive parenting practices in mothers.ConclusionsThe results emphasize the strain of the pandemic on young fathers’ and mothers’ mental health and its potential negative consequences for parenting. As poor parental mental health and insensitive parenting practices carry risk for worse child outcomes across the lifespan, the mental health burden of the Covid-19 pandemic might not only have affected the parents, but also the next generation.

‘I am different’: a qualitative analysis of part-time working fathers’ constructions of their experiences

ABSTRACT Although there has been an increasing interest in the notion of involved fatherhood, few studies have examined how fathers who work part-time and engage in child-rearing make sense of this experience. The present study explores how part-time working fathers positioned themselves in terms of their ‘at home’ and ‘at work’ identities. Thematic analysis was used to examine 30 interviewees’ accounts of their experiences. Three central themes were identified: (1) choosing to work part-time, (2) benefits of working part-time, and (3) contrasts with fathers as ‘breadwinners’. A common feature in all of these themes was interviewees’ flexible transition between traditional and non-traditional types of masculinity. The ways in which part-time working fathers positioned themselves as caring for children while maintaining attachment to more traditional types of masculinity are considered in terms of implications for theory and for fathers’ personal development. At a time where expectations of fathers engaged in child-rearing are increasing, the results of this study could be drawn on in the area of personal development to support men in forming new strategies around fathering practices.

Exploring the caring of fathers in low-income, rural communities in South Africa

ABSTRACT Early research on fatherhood in South Africa emphasize the prevalence of absent fathers and the detrimental impact thereof on families. More recent research on fatherhood, however, has shown a shift in fathering practices, where contemporary men engage in more involved and complicated fathering practices, which include nurturing and caring activities. Although local studies have begun to identify nurturing and caring activities in fathering, they have not comprehensively explored these caring ideas and practices. Furthermore, there has been a call for research providing more contextual knowledge on fathering practices across diverse groups of fathers locally and globally. This study, therefore, explored the ideas and practices of paternal care in a group that is especially under-represented in South African fatherhood literature. We draw on the data of fifteen families, each consisting of a father-figure, a mother-figure and an adolescent child. These 45 individuals were interviewed separately. The thematic analysis of participants’ accounts revealed complicated notions of paternal care. Although more contemporary caring ideas and practices of fathering behaviour were reported, these caring masculinity ideas remained intertwined with traditional hegemonic masculinity ideals. Nevertheless, these findings indicate that traditional ideas about fatherhood and masculinity have expanded to incorporate more nurturing, caring and expressive qualities.

Performing parenting: competencies and social capital for Ghanaian single fathers

Drawing on the five competencies areas, the study examines the relationship between individual competencies and successful childrearing practices in single-father homes. Questionnaires are used to collect data from 152 Ghanaian single fathers. With regression analyses, we find that strategic commitment and relationship building are significant for the development of functional children, while learning and opportunities are not. Additionally, social capital does not moderate the interaction of strategic and learning competencies with childrearing practices of single fathers. Results indicate that individual competencies are contextual and social capital from family members and friends may not always be an important consideration for the development of functional children. Finally, the results discussed in terms of implications for theory, policymakers and single fathers.