Low-income fathers, including fathers of color, experience all the joys that middle-class fathers have when their children are born and grow.
But new research shows they also struggle with negative emotions that they may not face as often as middle-class families, many of whom are suffering from financial hardship or low incomes. It is associated with the misleading social stereotype that fathers are “dead ends” and have little involvement in their children’s lives.
“The good news is that these fathers may be able to use their negative emotions in a positive way,” said Joyce Lee, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of social work at The Ohio State University. .
“In our study, when fathers experienced disappointment and discouragement due to their struggles with money and the stigmatized images they encountered, they showed resilience. They carried that into their children’s lives. I really tried to use that as an incentive to stay and do the right thing for the kids,” Lee said. Said.
The qualitative study, recently published in the Journal of Early Childhood Mental Health, involved 24 fathers (half of whom were Black and 5% multiracial) between the ages of 23 and 43 in a small Midwestern city. Participated in in-depth interviews. Mothers were asked to describe their experiences during pregnancy and when their children were young, including their emotions.
Despite the small sample size, the study is important because few studies have investigated fathers’ emotional lives in relation to their children, and few have focused on middle-class fathers, Lee said. said.
“It’s truly amazing that we were able to collect this data, that a group of low-income, racially diverse fathers were so vulnerable about their emotional experiences with parenting. ”
After examining all the interviews, several themes emerged, Lee said.
First, nearly all fathers said they were excited when they learned their partner was pregnant and discussed the joy associated with labor and birth. Most also talked about the joy of bonding with their infants, and a few said they enjoyed watching their infants and toddlers reach developmental milestones.
“Watching a child be born and grow is a wonderful thing for anyone, regardless of race or class. It’s a universal human experience, and our interviews with fathers made that clear.” Mr. Lee said.
However, fathers also described challenges, difficulties, and associated negative emotions that are unfamiliar to most middle-class fathers.
Nearly half of fathers reported experiencing financial and employment-related hardships while their children were growing up. “We can’t afford diapers. We have some (financial) support to rely on, but it’s still a difficult situation,” said one father.
Many fathers discuss related issues such as securing childcare, dealing with layoffs, working temporary jobs or unusual hours, and lack of transportation to pursue better job opportunities. Ta.
Many fathers of color mentioned the negative feelings that arise from seeing how Black fathers are portrayed in the media, the social services they access, and the larger society.
“Fathers were frustrated by negative stereotypes of poor black fathers as absent or powerless,” Lee said. “They knew the reality was different.”
But it’s here, she says, that the resilience of low-income fathers is revealed.
To overcome these negative stereotypes, some of the fathers interviewed talked about how they deliberately tried to act contrary to the stereotypes and be seen as “really great fathers.” Research has revealed that.
“We saw fathers trying to use their negative feelings about these stereotypes as a way to get involved in their children’s lives, take responsibility, and motivate them to do better.” said Mr. Lee.
Additionally, fathers in the study talked about using humor to cope with negative emotions and conflicts, and some discussed seeking help from professionals such as therapists and social workers, as well as peer mentors. .
About a quarter of fathers discussed being incarcerated from a parenting standpoint and how it motivated them to try to do better for their children.
“They wanted to make sure their kids got extra attention to make up for the time they were away,” she said.
Overall, the findings suggest that fathers with lower incomes are more psychologically resilient. That said, Lee said more could be done to better help fathers identify and manage negative emotions related to parenting. Health care providers and others who work with these fathers help them develop healthy coping strategies and find support networks that include not only friends and family but also, in some cases, leaders, churches, and other community groups. You need to help.
But fathers also have access to support from broader society, Lee said.
“As a society, we need to push back against negative and false stereotypes of low-income fathers,” she said. “They deserve our support as they strive to be the best parents they can be for their children.”
Co-authors of the study are Shawna Lee, Olivia Chang, Muzi Lin, and Brenda Volling of the University of Michigan, and Analia Albuja of Northeastern University.
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