Building Conceptual Models with African American Fathers at the Center

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. Over half of AA children in the United States live in households without their biological father. Research supports the importance of positive fathering in the lives of children. Children who do not have meaningful relationships with their fathers are disadvantaged, as are fathers, families and communities. AA non-resident fathers have become dissatisfied and disaffected by programs that are neither conceptually grounded nor sensitive to relevant father and child outcomes.  Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to describe the conceptual framework used to design and test the Building Bridges to Fatherhood (BBTF) program.  Methods: After extensive literature review, the conceptual framework for the Dedicated African American Dad (D.A.A.D.) Study was adapted from previous work by Julion and colleagues, Carlson & McLanahan and Belsky. Results: This novel framework illustrates the relationships between BBTF program components, father outcomes, paternal involvement and child outcomes. The critical, though rarely explored path of interest is from improved paternal involvement to improved child outcomes. This presentation describes the application and testing of the model and the operationalization of key study outcome variables while controlling for covariates of interest. Discussion/Conclusion: Placing AA fathers at the center of theoretical/conceptual models allows the impact of a culturally relevant intervention created by and for AA fathers to be tested and disseminated.