The African American Non-Resident Fatherhood Program

Rush University Medical Center, Chicago IL

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The number of children living in homes without their fathers has grown nationally and the greatest percentage of children living apart from their fathers is found among African American (AA) families. Two thirds of all African American children in the United States live in households without their biological father. Research supports the importance of positive fathering in the lives of children. However, in order for children to benefit from their fathers[unreadable] involvement, their relationship needs to begin early and be sustained. Research on unmarried parents reveals that over 90% of fathers are present at the child[unreadable]s birth or visit while the mother and newborn are in the hospital. Nonetheless, paternal involvement among unmarried fathers tends to decline over time. There are multiple reasons for this decline. Interviews with AANR fathers reveal that they are highly dissatisfied with the amount of involvement they have with their children. Even so, their sense of inadequacy, lack of parenting knowledge and skills, difficulty maintaining harmonious relationships with their child[unreadable]s mother, involvement in the corrections system that separates them from their children, and lack of fathering role models constrain their involvement. Dissatisfaction and disaffection among AANR fathers have been reinforced by programs designed for them but without regard to their needs, interests, and abilities as non-resident fathers. Few existing fatherhood programs have been developed with the guidance of AANR fathers. Even fewer have been empirically evaluated for their efficacy. This proposal requests support for a NINR funded study on paternal involvement in African American non-resident fathers. The purpose of this project is to develop an innovative fatherhood program for increasing and sustaining paternal involvement among AA fathers and their young children (2-5 years). AANR fathers will be convened into an advisory council and serve as key designers in the development of a video-based fatherhood program called the Chicago Fatherhood Program (CFP). This proposal builds on our prior research by (1) refining an effective and culturally relevant parent training model so that it has enhanced social and contextual validity for African American non-resident fathers in community and corrections settings, and (2) provides a real-world intervention for fathers that has as its primary aim to facilitate and sustain father involvement before father estrangement becomes entrenched and intractable. Based on extensive preliminary work with this population, it is expected that this program will include components related to child development and parenting skills;communication and problem-solving strategies;parenting self-efficacy and father self-esteem;and strategies for reducing stress. This study is consistent with the NINR[unreadable]s goal for the 21st century to address cultural and ethnic disparities in health promotion and intervention activities.