Thesis (M.A.)--University of Canterbury, 2008. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-107). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the experiences of single fathers and their roles as primary caregiver to their children as men in society adopting traditionally feminine roles. There was one primary research question explored: How do single father's experience parenthood? This is explored through four sub questions and discussions about daily life and childrearing alone; childcare and work and family conflicts; use of services and support networks; and of particular interest, gender and the influence of masculinity. Through an analysis of interviews with 14 fathers of varying class status, age, education, and time spent as a single father, I captured broadly the ways in which these men maneuver their childrearing with their lives, and how they are challenging, yet still upholding aspects of hegemonic masculinity. By exploring how these fathers maneuver childrearing as a male in society I assist in gaining insight and understanding to this population that has been previously overlooked in academic research.

Single parents face many challenges when accessing healthcare for their children and themselves, and have health issues that may go unrecognized, particularly for single fathers. The number of single father households has increased dramatically over the past few decades. There were fewer than 300,000 single father households in 1960, but in 2011 that number increased to more than 2.6 million—a 8.6-fold increase from baseline. Despite this jump in numbers, the literature addressing health-related issues of single fathers is rather scant. In this blog, we disseminate the limited number of studies on the subject and make recommendations for nurses to address the health disparities for this unique segment of population.

Fathers face difficulties when taking on the single parent role, including having to prove their ability to care for their children alone. Existing research does not address issues concerning single fathers and the stressors they experience in raising their children. This study addresses these issues and helps researchers understand single fathers by using a qualitative approach to understand their perception of parenting. Fourteen participants from New York City participated in semi-structured interviews to elicit information about this phenomenon. This study focused on experiences the men have while being a single parent, the impact of living in New York City on single fathers parenting, and helpful services for single fathers. After completion of the interviews, each discussion was input into the memos section of Nvivo for use in the analysis phase. Interviews were separated into descriptive nodes addressing each area of interest. Data was then dissected into subnodes, which assisted in determining the themes, represented by participant responses. The last analysis step included the establishment of important ideas for each of the three research questions. The findings show fathers experience stressors when being a single parent as they identified childcare, the absence of the child's mother, finances, housing, medical insurance, and communication issues as stress factors. Surprisingly, a majority of the participants felt living in New York positively impacted their parenting. Although a majority of the participants identified stress as part of their parenting experience, all the fathers identified services as a practical tool to help them improve their parenting. Several implications for positive social change after completing this research study include helping providers understand the needs of this population, and identifying the need for support to help improve parenting for this population.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Nearly 50% of children younger than 18 years will be raised by a single parent at some point prior to adulthood. Of developed countries, the United States currently has the highest percentage of single parents. Although much research has examined factors that contribute toward the negative outcomes of single parents, few studies have focused on factors that contribute toward positive outcomes for single parents. Using the strength-based construct of resiliency as a theoretical framework, this study examined whether gender, age, income, and perceived familial social support individually or in linear combination could predict resiliency in single parents. This study involved 138 single parents and a correlational, nonexperimental design was used. The Resiliency Scale-25, a 25 item self-report measure of five resilience principles; purpose, perseverance, self-reliance, equanimity, and existential aloneness, was used to measure resilience. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) a 12-item self-report measure of perceived social support from family, friends, and a significant other, was used to measure perceived social support. Results from a multiple linear step-wise regression showed none of the predictor variables were significantly related to the outcome variable of resiliency. A lack of diversity in the sample, an internet-only recruitment design, instrumentation issues, and failure to include additional predictive factors may have contributed to the lack of statistically significant findings. However, the results of this study highlighted the need for additional research on factors that promote resiliency in single parents, which could then be incorporated into improved services for this growing demographic.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 76-79).