No description available.

With an increase in diagnosis rates of autism in Trinidad, more parents of children with autism, especially single fathers, face numerous challenges on a daily basis. There is a lack of research on this topic and therefore an inadequate understanding of the experiences of Trinidadian single fathers as primary caregivers for children with autism. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and depict the lived experiences of single fathers of children with autism. Social support theory was the guiding conceptual framework to explore and understand how single fathers effectively manage their daily challenges. Ten single fathers from Southern Trinidad were recruited through criterion sampling and they engaged in semi-structured interviews individually. Moustakas's steps to phenomenological analysis were used to analyze the data. There were seven major themes that emerged from describing the lived experience of single fathers of children with autism: (a) challenges, (b) social support systems, (c) day-to-day experiences, (d) the role of the father within the family, (e) effects on social life, (f) sibling reactions, and (g) adaptive coping mechanisms. This study may engender social change, as the findings may be used to support single fathers to continue to provide care for their children. This study could result in improved understanding and support for their children both at home, in school, and in the community. The findings will be available to other fathers who share similar experiences. Special education service providers may gain further information to improve their services to families of children with disabilities.

No description available.

The number of single-parent families has increased dramatically in the world. In South Africa, this increase has partly been due to the increased number of deaths as a result of the AIDS pandemic. The purpose of this study is to explore experiences of widowers as single parents. The study proposes to elevate the view of single-parent families, which classes them as stereotypes of victimization, to where such families come to represent responsible archetypes. Unstructured in-depth interviews were used to obtain data from two Black and two White widowed single fathers. Thematic content analysis was utilized to identify emerging themes from the fathers' stories. Fathers in this study challenged the deficit model's view of single parenting which claims that these families are broken. As far as its applicability is concerned, this study may be beneficial to psychotherapists, single parents and society as a whole. / Psychology / M.A.(Clinical Psychology)

The number of single-parent families has increased dramatically in the world. In South Africa, this increase has partly been due to the increased number of deaths as a result of the AIDS pandemic. The purpose of this study is to explore experiences of widowers as single parents. The study proposes to elevate the view of single-parent families, which classes them as stereotypes of victimization, to where such families come to represent responsible archetypes. Unstructured in-depth interviews were used to obtain data from two Black and two White widowed single fathers. Thematic content analysis was utilized to identify emerging themes from the fathers' stories. Fathers in this study challenged the deficit model's view of single parenting which claims that these families are broken. As far as its applicability is concerned, this study may be beneficial to psychotherapists, single parents and society as a whole. / Psychology / M.A.(Clinical Psychology)

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Le nombre de familles monoparentales dirigées par des pères isolés atteint un niveau record non seulement en France mais aussi dans la majorité des pays occidentaux. Dans le cadre de la présente recherche doctorale, nous nous intéressons à la consommation familiale assurée par des pères en situation de cumul de rôles, celui du père et de la mère. Nous nous interrogeons sur la façon dont les pères isolés assurent et éprouvent l’achat familial et la sphère domestique traditionnellement perçue comme féminine. Nous identifions trois types de pères isolés selon leurs stratégies d’assurer et/ou de déléguer le rôle de la mère. Notre recherche montre que l’achat familial, les tâches domestiques ainsi que le soin des enfants constituent des éléments constructifs de l’identité paternelle de ces pères. Le shopping et la consommation familiale contribuent à la (re)construction du rôle du père. En outre, notre recherche montre que la consommation contribue à la construction d’une nouvelle famille à travers notamment la création de nouvelles relations entre les pères isolés et leurs enfants. / Nowadays, a record number of households are runned by single fathers not only in France but also in most of western societies. Our research aims to explore how single fathers experience the domestic sphere, a traditionally feminized field, while accomplishing their role of fathers. These fathers are living a situation of cumulating roles: the role of the father and the role of the mother. We identify three main categories of single fathers depending on their strategies to copy and/or delegate the role of the mother. Household duties such as shopping, cooking and housekeeping in addition to the nurturing role are experienced by many of the respondents as constructing elements of their fatherhood. Moreover, we identify the role of the marketplace and consumption in building a new family, particularly by creating new relationships between single fathers and their children.