This study attempted to investigate father attachment using the dual primary attachment figure model by examining caregiving and exploration behaviors of mothers and fathers as they relate to attachment security utilizing an archival data set of 177 young adult females. A subsequent factor analysis of the involvement scales revealed four distinct items creating the caregiving variables (one for mother and one for father) and six items creating the exploration variables. Results showed that mothers engaged in caregiving and exploration behaviors more than fathers, but their exploration predicted mother attachment more than caregiving. Fathers engaged in more caregiving than exploration, but it was their involvement in exploration that was more strongly related to father attachment. These findings, which provide partial support for the dual primary attachment figure model, suggest that father exploration is a cornerstone for the father-child attachment relationship, but also predictive of mother-child attachment. Future studies should include observational assessments of father attachment as well as exploration in current assessments of father attachment.

It is the time of war in Vietnam, of civil rights trailblazing, of social upheaval, and Kurt and Ellis Frye, an immigrant father and his first-generation American son from the small farming town of Homer, Colorado, are forced to navigate the changing American West in absence of one another. After discovering an aptitude for pitching--especially the volatile knuckleball--Ellis takes it upon himself to become a professional ballplayer, leaving the wheat farm he was to inherit from his father and starting off across the country on a journey that will force him to encounter what it means to be an authentic person. Meanwhile, Kurt, his health failing, struggles to tend the farm on his own, forced to realize the gravity of loneliness in both the departure of his son and the death of his wife. The unpredictable flow of life brings the two back together, and, burdened with the choice of whether or not to reclaim the home they built together, discover one another's autonomy, the life they knew not. A Lonely Place Where the Heart Beats Loud is a story about baseball, of farming, of life in a changing America, but more importantly it examines what it means to experience homecoming and what we inherit from those we care for.

Many families, regardless of their ethnic and cultural background, find it challenging to raise a nonverbal child with autism. Parent-implemented behavioral interventions can contribute to positive behavior change related to joint attention, imitation, and communication. However, many parents face barriers that prevent them from implementing behavioral interventions in the home. Very little research has been conducted on fathers of nonverbal children with autism to ascertain their perspectives on these barriers. In this qualitative study, a phenomenological design was used to obtain input from 12 fathers of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds residing in New York City regarding barriers to implementing behavioral interventions in the home with their nonverbal child with autism. Behavioral and humanistic theories constituted the theoretical framework. Thematic analysis resulted in the identification of themes and patterns within and across cases. Recommendations for parents and professionals include on-going in-home parent training from preschool to age 21 that focuses on acquiring instructional control over behavior and establishing effective communication with the nonverbal child with autism in the home. Study findings may help psychologists, counselors, parents, advocates, and autism treatment organizations improve parent training and counseling methods with the goal of promoting positive therapeutic outcomes.

The problem that this study focused on was the difficulties and challenges experienced by daughters who had absent fathers. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of daughters who grew up with absent fathers, and the effects on them as adults at home, in school, in their neighborhoods, and in their decision-making processes. The sample consisted of 20 daughters who grew up with absent fathers. Data were collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews, and analyzed using 5 phases of Hycner's (1999) phenomenological research. Results indicated that participants' lived experiences of home life were characterized by financial and emotional hardships resulting from the loss of a father's earnings and care. The meanings or lessons that participants derived from having absent fathers included the importance of being independent, of appreciating the people who remained with them, and of making a better life for their own children, either by choosing a mate who would be a committed father or by helping their children to come to terms with the man's absence. Participants reported that the absence of their fathers shaped their decision-making patterns in romantic relationships, either by normalizing exploitative behavior in men (e.g., deception, abuse, or abandonment), or by predisposing them to distrust men. Participants were also affected in their decision-making patterns by the loss of a male perspective and a father's guidance. These results are of significance because by gaining understanding of the experiences of daughters with absent fathers, healthcare professionals may provide appropriate assistance to help these women cope better with their difficulties and struggles.

Interparental conflict has been shown to be associated with child psychopathology (internalizing and externalizing behaviors). Adolescents are at risk for developing internalizing and externalizing behaviors because they are aware of the implications of the interparental conflict, they can attempt to mediate the conflict, and because of age-related responsibilities, they often experience new and unfamiliar stressors. A comprehensive review of the literature revealed four mediational models with substantial empirical support that explain the relation between interparental conflict and adolescent psychopathology: the cognitive-contextual model, the triangulation model, the spillover model, and the interparental conflict-parental psychopathology model. Typically, the mediators of these models (self-blame/perceived threat; triangulation; negative parenting behaviors; parental psychopathology, respectively) have been examined individually. The aim of this study was threefold: 1) examine the specificity of adolescent psychopathology (dimension versus diagnosis), 2) test each theoretical model, and 3) develop and test an integrative model that included the mediational mechanisms from the individual models. A community sample of 152 families (mother, father, adolescent) was recruited from the contiguous United States. Considering specific psychiatric diagnoses did not improve the fit of models that included the respective adolescent dimensional internalizing or externalizing behaviors. The hypotheses of the cognitive-contextual model (mediator: perceived threat), spillover model (mediators: maternal/paternal parenting), and the interparental conflict-parental psychopathology model (mediators: maternal/paternal internalizing) were supported in this study, but mediation was not supported for the triangulation model. Considering the mediators together, adolescent perceived threat, negative parenting, maternal internalizing and paternal externalizing behaviors were key in predicting adolescent psychopathology. Overall, the findings from the integrative models suggest that externalizing behaviors (interparental conflict, negative parenting, paternal externalizing behavior) lead to both adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviors; whereas, parental internalizing behaviors leads to internalizing behaviors only. The implications of these findings, especially from the integrative model, have clinical implications and provide guidance for future research.

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of video-mediated communication (VMC) to support couples separated during classic Satogaeri Bunben. Satogaeri Bunben refers to the Japanese tradition when a pregnant woman leaves her own home to return to her parents' home during the prenatal period, while her husband often stays behind in the couple's house. When a couple geographically live apart during Satogaeri Bunben, it may decrease father-infant attachment and the negatively impact the marital relationship. VMC was selected as the supportive intervention for couples choosing Satogaeri Bunben in this study because: 1) it provides additional visual cues, which are particularly important because Japanese communication is highly contextual and often more nonverbal than verbal, 2) the addition of visual cues allow husbands the opportunity to see their infant, because they cannot talk, and 3) Japan has one of the best broadband systems worldwide. The specific aims were to explore VMC during Satogaeri Bunben in relation to father-infant attachment and the marital relationship and to describe VMC experiences of Japanese couples separated during Satogaeri Bunben. A comparative case study design with a mixed methods approach to data collection and analysis was used. The specific mixed methods approach used was a [QUAL + quan] triangulation-convergence model. For the qualitative data, the primary source of data was the Participant Diary. The primary sources of quantitative data included three instruments: 1) Taiji Kanjyo Hyotei Syakudo (TKHS), 2) Intimate Bond Measure (IBM), and 3) Primary Communication Inventory (PCI). The PCI was translated into Japanese for this study using a committee approach. Four couples were participated in this study. Data collection for each couple took approximately two to three month to complete. Qualitative data analysis divided the couples in two groups: 1) the engaged group, who were very attentive each other's feelings and 2) the detached group, who were inattentive. The PCI scores further supported the existence of two groups. However, the TKHS and IBM scores were mixed. The limitations included a small sample size and lack of variability in sample characteristics, and short time frame. This study was also the first time to use a newly translated PCI in Japanese. This study successfully explored the use of VMC to support couples choosing Satogaeri Bunben focusing on decreasing the impact of the separation of the couple and later the separation of the husband from his new infant. The qualitative and quantitative findings provided a first glimpse into four couples' feelings and VMC experiences during Satogaeri Bunben, especially in relation to father-infant attachment and the marital relationship. The use of VMC provided ongoing virtual, rather than physical co-presence, which may help couple's communication and relationship during their separation, as they transitioned to parenthood.

This thesis reports on and analyses the first fifty years, 1887-1937, of the Sisters of Saint Joseph’s ministry in Tasmania. The design of the study is qualitative in nature, employing ethnographic techniques with a thematic approach to the narrative. Through a multifaceted approach the main figures of the Josephite story of the first fifty years are examined. The thesis attempts to redress the imbalance of the representation of women in Australian history and the Catholic Church in particular. The thesis is that as a uniquely Australian congregation the Tasmanian Sisters of St Joseph were focused on the preservation of the original spirit and tradition articulated at their foundation rather than on the development of a unique Tasmanian identity. The thesis argues that it was the formative period that impacted on their future development and the emerging myths contributed to their search for identity. Isolated from their foundations through separation and misunderstanding, they sought security and authenticity through their conservation of the original Rule. The intervention of cofounder Father Tenison Woods in the early months of their foundation served to consolidate a distinctive loyalty to him to the exclusion of Mary MacKillop. Coupled with the influence of Woods were the Irish and intercolonial influences of significant Sisters from other foundations which militated against the emergence of a distinctive Tasmanian leadership. As a Diocesan Congregation the Tasmanian Josephites achieved status as authentic religious within Tasmania and yet were constrained by their Diocesan character. The study identifies the factors that contributed to their development as a teaching Congregation through the impact of the Teacher and Schools’ Registration Act 1906, influence of government regulations on the Woods-MacKillop style of education, and the commitment of the Church to provide Catholic education in the remote areas of Tasmania. The thesis identifies two major formative periods as occurring at the instigation of Archbishops Delany and Simonds at both the foundation and then more significantly after the consolidation phase at the end of the period under examination.

Thesis (M. Ed.(Opvoedkundige sielkunde))-Universiteit van Pretoria, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

<p><strong>Syfte:</strong> Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva hur pappor upplever ett akut kejsarsnitt.</p><p><strong>Metod: </strong>Deskriptiv studie med kvalitativ design. Semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med tio pappor som varit med om ett akut kejsarsnitt.  </p><p><strong>Resultat: </strong>I studien framkom positiva upplevelser av akut kejsarsnitt så som ett bra bemötande av personalen och en känsla av att bli omhändertagen. Personalen uppfattades som proffsiga, trevliga och snälla. Det var framförallt efter det akuta kejsarsnittet som pappor upplevde en delaktighet då de själva fick ta hand om barnet. De såg då sin roll som betydelsefull. Pappans<em> </em>upplevelser av det akuta kejsarsnittet kan också<em> </em>vara kaotisk och traumatisk. Det fanns en önskan om psykologiskt stöd efter det akuta kejsarsnittet. Pappor upplevde att de inte kunde hjälpa till med så mycket praktiskt under själva kejsarsnittet utan de upplevde mer att de var ett mentalt stöd för mamman. Det fanns upplevelser av bristande information, både före, under och efter det akuta kejsarsnittet.</p><p><strong>Slutsats: </strong>Då det framkom i studien att det fanns en önskan om psykologiskt stöd bör det införas rutiner för att fånga upp dessa pappor och en möjlighet att erbjuda dem hjälp. Vad gäller information bör riktlinjer utformas för att pappor ska känna att de är väl informerade genom hela förloppet, informationen bör individanpassas. En informationsbroschyr om akut kejsarsnitt kan utformas och finnas tillgänglig på förlossningsavdelningar som ett led i informationsgivning.</p><p><strong>Nyckelord: </strong>Pappa, akut kejsarsnitt, upplevelser.</p>

<p>Papparollen har förändrats från att vara familjeförsörjare till mer aktivt deltagande i familjelivet, men det finns mer att göra för att uppnå en jämställd föräldraledighet. Tidigare forskning är grundade på pappors erfarenhet och tankar om den planerade föräldraledigheten. <strong>Syfte: </strong>Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka blivande förstagångspappors tankar om föräldraledighet, rollen som pappa och föräldrautbildning. <strong>Metod: </strong>Åtta blivande förstagångspappor intervjuades. Samtliga intervjuer spelades in digitalt, transkriberades och analyserades genom med hjälp av innehållsanalys. <strong>Resultat: </strong>Av intervjuerna framkom fyra kategorier; Förutsättningar att ta föräldraledighet, Jämställt föräldraskap, att vara pappa och förälder samt trygghet inför förlossningen. Samtliga pappor planerade att ta ut föräldraledighet men det var oklart för en del när det skulle ske. Sju av papporna nämner att amningen är den viktigaste faktorn till att mamman tar ut föräldraledighet under första tiden.  Utav åtta intervjuade pappor svarade fem att ekonomin var en avgörande faktor som föräldrarna tog hänsyn till när de planerade fördelningen av föräldraledigheten.  Det fanns en stor ambivalens till huruvida papporna ansåg att låsta månader var ett bra tillvägagångssätt för att uppnå en mer jämställd fördelning av föräldraledigheten. Papporna kunde se både negativa och positiva konsekvenser av de låsta månaderna. Den generella åsikten bland papporna var dock att de ville engagera sig i sina barn även om de inte har möjlighet att vara föräldralediga. <strong>Slutsats: </strong>Papporna vill ta föräldraledighet men de största hindren är den ekonomiska situationen och amningen som prioriteras under första tiden. Genom föräldraledigheten ansåg papporna att de kan knyta an till sina barn.</p> / <p><strong></strong>The father role has changed from being a breadwinner to taking a more active part in the family life, but there is still more to do before an equal parental leave is reached. Recent studies are based on fathers’ experiences and thoughts of the planned paternal leave. <strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of this study is to research soon-to-be fathers’ thoughts about the forthcoming parental leave, the father role and the parental education. <strong>Method:</strong> Eight soon-to-be fathers were interviewed. All interviews was digitally recorded, transcribed and analyzed with the help of content analysis. <strong>Results:</strong> From the interviews four different categories was found; Conditions to take parental leave, equal parenting, to be a father and a parent and feeling secure about the birth giving. All the interviewed fathers showed a desire to take parental leave but it was uncertain when they were going to do so. Seven of them refer to breastfeeding as the most important factor why the mother take parental leave in the beginning. Of eight interviewed fathers five of them responded that the negative change in their economy was a major factor in the distribution of the parental leave between the mother and father. There was a big ambivalence whether the fixed months is a good approach to reach a more equal distribution of the parental leave. The fathers saw both negative and positive consequences of the fixed months. However, the general opinion among the fathers was that they wanted to commit to their children, even if they were not able to take parental leave. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Fathers wants to take parental leave, but the biggest obstacle is their economy and because the child was being breastfeed during the first period of time after birth. The fathers believed that through parental leave they would be able to connect to their children.</p>