It Takes a Village: Supportive Strategies That Help Fathers of Children in Multiple Households Stay Involved

Background: Positive father involvement, regardless of the father’s residential status, is associated with academic and social emotional competence in children.  Evidence suggests that support may enhance father involvement.   This study utilizes data from a grounded theory study that used the multiple perspective of fatherhood networks to examine paternal involvement of low-income, African American men who fathered children with more than one partner and parented across households. Networks included the father, mothers/primary caregivers,  and whenever possible their parents, current romantic partners, and up to three persons the father identified as influencing his fatherhood role.   

Purpose: This study will use House’ s (1981) social support theory  to examine  similarities and differences in the amount and types of social support provided by 10 paternal and maternal  network members. 

Methods: Each network member was individually interviewed, usually in their homes,  over 1-3 visits using semi-structured interviews.  Interviews were audiotaped and professionally transcribed.  Data were analyzed using  the constant comparative method described by Auerbach & Silversten (2003).

Results: Findings suggest that the amounts and type of emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal social support described by House (1981)  differed between paternal and maternal network members as well as between the maternal network members of the first and subsequent partners. 

 Conclusions:  The positive effects of social support on mothers has been well documented in literature. Our findings suggest the usefulness of looking beyond the birth couple relationship to identify additional factors and relationships that may influence father involvement for   multiple partnered fertility fathers.