Parental Experiences of Men Raised Without Fathers or Father Figures: A Phenomenological Study
California Southern University (with National University)
How they used Delve
Researchers at California Southern University used Delve to run content and thematic analysis of individual and focus group interviews with nine Trinidadian fathers who grew up without fathers themselves, surfacing themes on cultural constructs of masculinity, the church's role in childhood trauma, and the transmission of father absence across generations.
“Data on men’s adverse childhood experiences were gathered using semi-structured interviews. Content and thematic analyses were done using DELVE software. [...] In-depth individual and focus group interviews were conducted on the Zoom platform in light of unexpected COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, which were recorded and transcribed using a software system called TRINT and further edited for accuracy. The data were then coded and analyzed using DELVE, another software designed for qualitative research analysis.”
- Field
- Developmental and family psychology; father absence, adverse childhood experiences, and intergenerational parenting in Trinidad and Tobago
- Data
- In-depth individual and focus group semi-structured interviews on Zoom with nine Trinidadian men aged 20-35 who were parenting sons aged nine months to 15 years, recruited by snowball sampling; five of mixed ethnic background and four identifying as black; recorded and transcribed with Trint and edited for accuracy
- Approach
- Hermeneutic phenomenological design guided by an integrated framework of Parenting Style Theory, Social-Cognitive Theory and Bioecological Systems Theory; both content and thematic analysis run in Delve, sorting preliminary and formal interview data into emerging and recurring major themes and sub-themes until responses reached saturation (Creswell; Lincoln & Guba)
- Data types
- Interviews, Focus groups
Abstract
Paternal parenting affects child development; hence, the father’s absence has a deleterious effect on the male child. The literature on parenting shows limited focus on how parenting impacts children by gender. This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study investigated the key question, “How does a father’s absence during childhood influence a man’s subsequent parenting of his son(s)?” An integrated theoretical framework was used to guide the study: Parenting Style Theory, Social-Cognitive Theory, and Bioecological Systems Theory. Nine Trinidadian males aged 20 to 35 years who were parenting sons were recruited to participate using snowball sampling. Data on men’s adverse childhood experiences were gathered using semi-structured interviews. Content and thematic analyses were done using DELVE software. Key findings include the influence of stereotypical cultural constructs, the church’s critical role in addressing childhood trauma, the transmission of father absence across generations, and the relationship between neurodevelopment and adverse childhood experiences. Implications of these findings will benefit child and adolescent advocacy, inform policymaking, aid professional intervention in mental health and education, and strengthen familial systems and ecclesiastical contexts. Future research should explore the lived experiences of men who crave emotional connection with their sons yet struggle with the stereotypical cultural perception of manhood.
Citation
L. V. Harper, Melanie Shaw (2024). Parental Experiences of Men Raised Without Fathers or Father Figures: A Phenomenological Study. American Journal of Qualitative Research. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/14393