The Differential Impacts of Shame and Guilt on Father Involvement in Families with Disabled Children: A Report of Mixed Methods Research

Background and Aims: This study examine the emotions, involvement and mental health of fathers in rearing children with disabilities. It aims to explore the meaning and experiences of fathers in different stages of rearing, develop and validate measurement scales for shame, guilt, involvement, and masculine norms, and identify the mechanisms linking these variables.

Methods: The study uses a mixed-method research design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 fathers of 2-12-year-old children with disabilities to understand their emotional experiences and behavioural reactions. A cross-sectional online questionnaire was used to collect data from 437 fathers to develop and validate the measurement scales. Path analysis was employed to examine the relationships between variables and test the mediating role of emotions and behaviour.

Results: The qualitative analysis resulted in the development of a model that emphasizes the unique and inclusive roles of fathers and men in rearing children with disabilities. It also identified five stages of emotional reactions experienced by fathers in different stages of rearing. The quantitative analysis led to the development and validation of measurement scales for shame, guilt, involvement, and masculine norms. The results showed significant correlations between the proposed variables, except for a negligible negative relationship between shame and father involvement. Path analysis revealed that their masculine norms and the dialogistic period of children had negative effects on their shame but positive influence on guilt emotions, respectively, mediated by their avoidance and compensatory behavior influencing father involvement.

Conclusions: Further discovering the result of this study is expected to broader societal implications on and showcase the impact of shame and guilt emotions and their reciprocal relationship influencing father involvement in rearing children with disabilities. The findings have important implications for social workers, researchers, and policymakers, as they emphasize the need to address fathers' emotional experiences and support their involvement in caregiving.