Fathering and Child Maltreatment: Understanding the Impact of Change in Fathers' Lives

Background and Purpose:

Fathers involved in the child welfare system are often overlooked or viewed as uninvolved, unimportant, or dangerous (Bellamy, 2009).  This limited view has the potential to minimize fathers and their potential contributions and areas of challenge.  Fathers involved in child maltreatment are an understudied population (Guterman & Lee, 2005).  Previous research has tended to look at unidirectional factors, with less emphasis on context.  

Methods:

Fifteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with fathers involved in the child welfare system.  The traditional grounded theory approach (TGT; Strauss and Corbin, 1990) was used for this study.  Following TGT methodology, open, axial and selective coding were utilized to help develop the concepts and their dimensions and properties. 

All of the fathers reside in the mid-Atlantic region and were involved in a parenting program for child maltreatment.  They range in age from 27 to 46, with a mean age of 35.9.  The participants had their first child between the ages of 16 and 40, with a mean age of 22.7.  The sample was predominantly African American (66.7% African American, 13% Caucasian, 13% Hispanic, 6.7% Bi-racial).  Seven of the fathers are currently married, seven are single, and one is an unmarried partner.  The fathers vary in the number of children they have, ranging from 1 to 12, with a mean of 4.3. 

Results:

The concept of fluidity was salient for the fathers in this study; change was the constant. There was frequent movement in multiple areas including marital status, incarceration, and involvement with children.

Many of the fathers in this study had been in several different romantic relationships, with resulting changes in their marital status.  They were frequently managing relationships with several different mothers of their children.  These relationships may also have impacted the children as they had to adjust to their father’s new girlfriend/wife, new expectations, rules, and sometimes additional children if she had her own (Fomby & Osborne, 2010). 

These fathers experienced change in incarceration status.  In many cases, fathers were incarcerated for a portion of one child’s life, but no longer incarcerated when other children were born.  Therefore, they were more involved and present for events in the lives of some of their children than for others.  Many fathers discussed the impact of incarceration.  It changed their relationships with their children and changed them as a person.  It impacted their priorities, perceptions, and thinking. 

Involvement with children was also variable.  Some of these changes related to shifts in their marital status, where they were living, and having additional children.  It was apparent that one could not deduce involvement with all children by examining involvement with one child at a specific time. 

Conclusion and Implications:

Better understanding fluidity in the lives of fathers who are in the child welfare system is important.  Change in one or more areas of the fathers’ life impacted his relationship with his children.  Increasing knowledge in this area will help practitioners understand the needs and challenges of these fathers and how fluidity impacts their children’s lives.