Time to father

This paper reports the qualitative findings from 40 couples involved in a study exploring men's post-natal mental health. Interviews were conducted with individuals soon after the birth of their first child. Findings suggest that new fathers want to be more involved in the direct care and nurturing of their children than their fathers were with them. Discourses which construct fathers and inform social structures have not kept pace with men's changed attitudes and role expectations limiting the options available to men as fathers. In particular men's employment circumstances figure in their experience of adjusting to life as a father. Those fathers having least flexibility and autonomy in their work report experiencing, since the birth of their child, more unhappiness, anxiety, and generally higher levels of stress. These findings suggest increasing workplace flexibility and provisions such as parental leave are important for men's post-natal mental health.     

Full‐Time,Part‐Time Full‐Time,and Part‐Time Fathers: Father Identities Following Divorce

This grounded theory study examined how 20 newly divorced, nonresidential fathers manage their fatherhood identities. The theory created from this study proposes that fathers' perceptions of (a) father‐child relationships, (b) how their children's fiscal needs are met, and (c) barriers to their physical interactions with their children influence their fatherhood identities. In spite of all fathers identifying themselves as involved, three types of fathers emerged: full‐time fathers, part‐time full‐time fathers, and part‐time fathers. The findings suggest that men's conceptualizations of father involvement are influenced by their postdivorce experiences with nonresidential fatherhood.     

Married men's first time experiences of early childbearing and their role in sexual and reproductive decision making: a qualitative study from rural Vietnam

Male partners' involvement in women's sexual and reproductive health has been increasingly emphasised in international health. A qualitative approach with open-ended qualitative interviews was used to explore young, married men's first time experiences of early childbearing, their sexual and reproductive decision making and the meanings they make of their role as husbands and fathers. The results offer a nuanced picture of the men's vulnerability in becoming young fathers and having to assume their role as family decision-makers, while still being inexperienced in matters related to the health of their wives and newborn child. Constraints to gender equality and traditional norms and values continue to pose barriers to both young men and women making independent decisions in relation to marriage and childbearing. Men's involvement is necessary in healthcare programmes designed to improve women's sexual and reproductive health and the health of the newborn. Young, first-time fathers, in particular, need support and empowerment.     

Birth intentions among US fathers with disabilities

BackgroundMen’s birth intention is an indicator of their sexual health and plays an important role for their child’s health and development; however, birth intendedness in fathers with disabilities has been unknown.ObjectiveThis study examines disparities in birth intendedness among fathers with and without disabilities and explores whether the differences vary by marital status or race/ethnicity.MethodsData from the 2011–2017 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) were used to examine pregnancy intendedness for fathers with (n = 380) and without disabilities (n = 1,324) about their last birth in the five years preceding the interview. Multinomial regression models estimated the odds ratios of fathers’ disability status on birth intention controlling for covariates. Interaction effects of disability status by marital status or race/ethnicity were also tested.ResultsFathers with disabilities were 1.89 (95% CI = 1.21, 2.95) times as likely to report their last birth as unwanted versus intended compared to those without disabilities after adjusting for covariates. Although married fathers without disabilities were less likely to report unintended birth than their unmarried counterparts, the protective effect of marriage was not evident among fathers with disabilities.ConclusionsDisabled fathers are at a higher risk of unintended birth compared to nondisabled fathers. These findings highlight the need to increase access to family planning services for disabled men. Further research is needed to better understand the risk factors that contribute to disabled fathers’ unintended birth and how these are linked to their child and family well-being.     

Mental health outcomes among parents of a child who has a developmental disability: Comparing different types of developmental disability

BackgroundThere is very little information on the effects of different types of developmental disability on the mental health of parents of children who have a DD.ObjectiveThis paper compared the mental health of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Down syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and other types of DD.MethodsA cross-sectional design was used to examine population-level administrative health data for mental health outcomes in cohorts of fathers and mothers of children with four different types of a DD. As well as type of DD, additional variables were examined, these included: sex of the parent, age of the parent at birth of the child with the DD, income, sex of the child with the DD, number of children in the family and place of residence.ResultsFor both fathers and mothers odds of a diagnosis of depression or another mental health problem were associated with type of DD. Parents of children with FAS experienced the greatest odds of a depression or other mental health diagnosis. Odds of a diagnosis for fathers were associated with low income. Odds of a diagnosis for mothers were associated with the sex of the child with the DD.ConclusionsThese findings are important for understanding families which include a child with a DD, as a guide for future research, and for developing effective programs and services for these parents.     

Former Foster Youth as Fathers: Risk and Protective Factors Predicting Father–Child Contact

This study uses longitudinal data from the Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth to examine father–child contact between fathers who aged out of foster care and their children (N = 287 children of 150 fathers). The authors examine the effect of remaining in foster care after age 18 and find that it is positively associated with father–child contact when fathers are age 26. Some of this relationship is explained by positive associations between remaining in care, employment, and men's coresidence with the child's mother, and a negative association with criminal conviction. Even among involved fathers, however, criminal convictions and unemployment are common. Findings suggest that extending care from age 18 to 21 benefits young men, and their children, when they become fathers. Child welfare policies and practice should attend to the needs of young men who become fathers, before and after they exit care.     

Designing community sports-based programmes for men with mental illness: A qualitative study of the Offload rugby league programme

Despite the increasing appeal of community sport programmes which focus on men's mental health, the key design characteristics of these programmes, and the roles played by delivery staff in their conception and development, have not yet been systematically or widely studied. In this qualitative paper we address this gap in knowledge by reporting on interviews with stakeholders (n = 18) from north-west of England involved in designing a men's rugby league community-based mental health programme, Offload. Findings suggest that tacit forms of knowledge, developed through years of professional practice and co-production activity, was critical to how men's mental health was conceptualised and the use of existing non-clinical community assets (e.g. professional club stadia) as delivery sites for the programme. The use of non-stigmatising language, supported by opportunities for men to engage in non-threatening and solutions-focused activities, were central to programme design. The use of former professional sportspeople who recall their own lived experience of mental illness, and personal adversity, in programme sessions was deemed important for engendering trust among men and enabling them to engage in modelling alternative forms of masculine behaviour which can enhance mental health and encourage greater help-seeking. The paper concludes by arguing for a relational understanding of community sport and mental health programmes, since our data indicate that by focusing on the networks of relationships involved in Offload and the social contexts in which it was to be delivered, the programme designers effectively leveraged the benefits of their collective expertise to maximise men's engagement.     

Addressing Child Support in Fatherhood Programs: Perspectives of Fathers and Service Providers

This qualitative study explores the views that low‐income fathers and fatherhood service providers have of the child support system and how these perceptions shape the provision of and men's engagement in fatherhood services. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with 36 fathers, and telephone interviews with 19 fatherhood service providers. Four themes emerged about perceptions of the child support system: imposing unrealistic financial demands, criminalizing low‐income men, discounting paternal viewpoints, and evidencing responsible parenting. A further four themes were concerned with the relationship between the child support system and fatherhood programs: hindering wider service utilization, encouraging engagement, educating and advocating, and reframing child support. Overall the findings suggest that though child support obligations can place a substantial financial and psychological burden on low‐income men, fatherhood programs have a valuable role to play in supporting noncustodial fathers in paying child support as one part of their wider paternal role.     

Predictors of paternal and maternal controlling feeding practices with 2- to 5-year-old children

ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify predictors of controlling feeding practices in both mothers and fathers of young children.DesignCross-sectional, questionnaire design.SettingNursery schools within the United Kingdom recruited participants.ParticipantsNinety-six mothers and fathers comprising 48 mother-father pairs of male and female children aged 2 to 5 years.Main Outcome MeasuresParents' child feeding practices, eating psychopathology, general mental health symptomology, and their children's eating behaviors and temperament.AnalysisPreliminary correlations; stepwise regressions.ResultsMaternal controlling feeding was predicted by children's eating behaviors (emotional over- and undereating), child temperament (sociability), and maternal general mental health symptoms. Paternal reports of children's eating behaviors (slow eating and emotional undereating) were the only significant predictors of fathers' controlling feeding practices.Conclusions and ImplicationsMothers' and fathers' feeding practices seem to be better linked to child characteristics than to the presence of eating psychopathology symptoms. Children's emotional eating predicted all 3 controlling feeding practices in mothers and warrants further study to elucidate the causal nature of this relationship.     

His and Her Job: What Matters Most for Fertility Plans and Actual Childbearing?

This study examines workplace culture and fertility plans and transitions in Sweden. This study goes beyond previous research in examining the effect of particular job characteristics as well as the influence of a partner's job characteristics on women's and men's birth plans and transitions. We use data from the 1999 and 2003 Swedish Young Adult Panel Study. Results indicate that men are more likely to intend to have a child if their partner's job makes it easy to take parental leave or work part‐time. Women are more likely to intend to have a child if their partner's job pays well. In addition, men whose job pays well are more likely to have a child. This research suggests that family‐friendly policies may enhance fertility indirectly through men's fertility decision making.     

(Not) talking about sex: couple reports of sexual discussion and expression in Bangalore,India

Adolescent marriage is common in India, placing young women at risk of HIV, early pregnancy and poor birth outcomes. Young women's capacity to express their sexual desires is central to negotiating safe and mutually consensual sexuality. Men, too, play an important role in shaping women's sexual and reproductive health outcomes, but little research has examined how men influence women's sexual expression. Using paired husband and wife data, this paper reports on a preliminary investigation into the patterns of and concurrence between women's sexual expression and their husbands' attitudes about it, as well as the influence of men's approval of their wives' sexual expression on women's actual expression of sexual desire. The results suggest that, among this sample, men are more open to sexual expression than their wives and that, for women, expressing desire not to have sex is far more common than expressing desire to have sex. Further, men's approval of sexual expression from wives appears to positively influence women's actual expression. These findings suggest that men may be resources for women to draw upon as they negotiate sexuality in adolescence and early adulthood.     

The Adaptation of Mothers and Fathers to Children With Cystic Fibrosis: A Comparison

This study compared the adjustment of mothers and fathers who have a child with cystic fibrosis On most scales mothers, but not fathers, were found to have significantly poorer mental health than the general population Both mothers and fathers' perceptions of the stresses associated with rearing children with cystic fibrosos were related to their mental health Fathers mental health was also related to their wives' concerns about rearing children with cystic fibrosis The support of fathers appeared to protect mothers from the stress associated with cystic fibrosis, especially when fathers placed a high value on child-rearing activities.     

Do disability,parenthood, and gender matter for health disparities?: A US population-based study

BackgroundExisting research has documented adverse health outcomes among parents with disabilities relative to parents without disabilities, but little is known about whether parenthood adds unique stress and health consequences for people with disabilities. Less is known about whether the effects of parenthood differ between mothers and fathers with disabilities.ObjectivesThis paper examined health-related quality of life, obesity, and health behaviors between US parents and nonparents with and without disabilities. We also explored differences in health outcomes separately for men and women by one's parental and disability status.MethodsAn analytic sample of parents and nonparents aged 18–64, with and without disabilities, were derived from the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (9,117 parents and 33,961 nonparents with disabilities). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied, controlling for individuals’ socio-demographic characteristics and their history of chronic conditions.ResultsParents with disabilities, compared to parents without disabilities and nonparents with and without disabilities, were at higher risk of reporting frequent physical distress, obesity, smoking, and insufficient sleep. Among those with disabilities, fathers were more likely than nonfathers to report poor or fair health, frequent physical and mental distress, and obesity; these differences were not evident between mothers and nonmothers with disabilities.ConclusionsThe findings suggest the urgent need for policies and programs to address the health-related needs of parents with disabilities, as well as the need for targeted programs to support fathers with disabilities.     

'Because he loves me': Husbands' involvement in maternal health in Guatemala

This study aimed to extend notions of male involvement to maternal health and to understand how Guatemalan men and women think about husband involvement in pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. Based on individual interviews and focus groups with men, women, and community health workers in two areas of rural Guatemala, this paper describes the pregnancy-related advice and assistance husbands give, and the reasons men are and are not involved in maternal health. Both men and women reported that male involvement in maternal health is relatively high, desirable, unique and affected by many factors. These include love, men's work demands, economic concerns and men's knowledge. The results help to fill broad gaps in understanding of male involvement in this aspect of family health and to amend stereotypes about husbands' relationship to maternal health and health care.     

Mental health risks of parents of children with developmental disabilities: A nationally representative study in the United States

BackgroundCaring for a child with a developmental disability may affect parents’ mental health. There are few longitudinal or nationally representative studies, none on new mental health problems. Studies have few young children, and few adult children.Objective/hypothesesWe hypothesized that parents of children with developmental disability would be more likely to develop mental health problems than other parents.MethodsWe used the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID, 1997–2017) and its Child Development Supplements, defining developmental disability by diagnoses such as autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability, and requiring additional evidence of lasting impairment. We linked children’s and parents’ data spanning 20 years, including 44,264 mental health measurements for 4024 parents of 7030 children. Discrete-time hazard analysis controlled for child and parent characteristics.ResultsAbout 9.4% of children had developmental disability. Parents of children with developmental disability were more likely to develop mental health problems than other parents. The odds of developing anxiety or depression were higher when an adult child with developmental disability lived independently, nearly 3 times higher for mothers (OR 2.89, CI 2.33–3.59) and more than twice as large for fathers (OR 2.35, CI 1.70–3.26). Compared to fathers whose children did not have developmental disability and challenging behaviors, the odds of psychological distress were over 7 times larger (odds ratio, OR 7.18, 95% confidence interval, CI, 5.37–9.61) for those whose children had developmental disability and challenging behaviors.ConclusionsParents of children with developmental disability may benefit from increased emotional support, respite, and interventions addressing challenging behaviors.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of the Family Connections program for caregivers of youth with mental health challenges,part II: A qualitative analysis

BackgroundThe Family Connections™ (FC) program is a 12‐week support and skill‐training program for caregivers of youth with mental health challenges. The intervention was originally developed with a focus on borderline personality disorder (BPD). It is important to understand the experiences of caregivers in such interventions, as well as its applicability beyond BPD, for the purposes of evaluation and ongoing program improvement.ObjectiveTo explore and analyse the experiences of caregivers of youth with diverse mental health challenges and who participated in FC.DesignSemi‐structured interviews with thirteen FC‐participating caregivers of youth with mental health challenges.ResultsThematic analysis uncovered three major themes regarding caregivers'' experience with FC: (a) FC increased the caregivers'' ability to manage their youth''s mental health challenges; (b) participating in FC impacted their intra‐ and interpersonal spheres; and (c) improvements to the program were proposed. Following participation in FC, caregivers felt they learned a new approach to understanding themselves, their youth and mental health, and were better able to manage their youth''s mental health challenges.Discussion and conclusionFC is a promising intervention for caregivers of youth with mental health challenges, beyond the traditional BPD focus. The intervention has the potential to provide broad‐based benefits for caregivers and should be considered for implementation and scale‐up across youth‐ and caregiver‐serving organizations. Potential areas of intervention flexibility and improvement are discussed.Patient/public contributionCaregivers were involved in the program development and facilitation of FC. A person with lived experience was involved with the analysis.     

The social construction of gay oppression as a determinant of gay men's health: ‘homophobia is killing us’

Where once the health sciences concentrated much of their efforts on curing homosexuality, contemporary health science is concerned largely with the mental and physical effects of oppression, which are now taken as the legitimate focus of health research and intervention. However, gay men's health has imported into its practice a fairly individualistic ideology, one that undermines efforts to address the social determinants of health and to achieve social justice goals. In this article, I explore the social construction of gay men's health in the health literature. My analysis focuses specifically on constructions of gay oppression as a determinant of health. Through an analysis of the gay men's health literature, I identify three recurring themes: (i) gay oppression is conceived as a psychological phenomenon, (ii) gay men's damaged psychologies are a determinant of gay men's health, and (iii) individual therapies are proposed as the solution to gay oppression. Like mainstream health research and practice, gay men's health focuses attention on the mental and physical functioning of the individual, ignores the social and structural determinants of health, and directs health intervention squarely on the individual. I propose an alternative (anti-oppression) research agenda; one that shifts our conceptualisation of the ‘the problem’ from the oppressed to the oppressor.     

Finding Information About Men's Health on the Internet

Summary

It's a well-known fact that men are less likely than women to seek health care. Men tend to wait as long as possible to see a doctor about a health problem, making early diagnosis of a disease difficult if not impossible. When one looks at the statistics related to men's health, the apparent aversion to seeking health care is disconcerting. Given the fact that men seem to be more private about their illnesses, the Internet provides an excellent place for them to seek health care information. A search of “men's health” finds an overwhelming number of sites on the Internet. This article provides a highly selected list of Web sites intended as a starting place for finding information about men's health on the Internet.