Father group leaders' experiences of creating an arena for father support – A qualitative study

Abstract

The father group leaders described how participants often have high education levels and orderly social circumstances. The leaders described that the groups increased the fathers' reflection about parenthood, which could benefit the whole family in both the short and long term. The father group leaders reported that some of the topics in the sessions directly influenced fathers to discuss issues regarding equality and their co-parenting relationship. They also argued that participating in father groups might help convince fathers to take more parental leave and build stronger relationships with their partner and child.

First-Time Fathers’ Attitudes Towards, and Experiences With, Parenting Courses in Denmark

“…According to the literature, some men in parent groups feel that they lack sessions that focus explicitly on the father’s role ( Kerstis et al, 2017 ). This criticism did not arise in the study here, where it was evident that the health professionals were sufficiently good at relating to the father’s role whenever the subject arose naturally during the various course sessions.…”

“…They emphasized that they could speak more freely when their partner was not present and that they appreciated this moment of “gender segregation” during the family course. Fathers were also asked if they would consider taking part in fathers’ groups, as studies identify that these are a good way to provide support and to ensure that the focus is on topics that are relevant to fathers (Friedewald et al, 2005; Kerstis et al, 2017). A few of the fathers interviewed thought this was a good idea, but most of them did not find the idea of fathers’ groups in the least bit appealing.…”

“…The fathers who take part in fathers’ groups are often well educated, in stable relationships, and socially and economically robust. They also tend to take longer paternity leave and to have positive attitudes toward gender equality (Kerstis et al, 2017).…”

Comparing the effect of group- based training along with text messaging and compact disc- based training on men’s knowledge and attitude about participation in perinatal care: a cluster randomized control trial

“…Also, Allport et al believed that innovative ways to reach father involvement in children's lives are currently under investigation, including use of mobile technologies show promise in effectively engaging fathers and improving family health [36]. Kerstis et al in Sweden showed that participating in father groups (parental classes) might help convince fathers to take more parental leave and build stronger relationships with their partner and child [37]. Adeleye and Okonkwo indicated a significant increase in knowledge and a meaningful change in attitude of men about the role of fathers in preventing maternal death through education via lectures and leaflets [20].…”

“They just get it” an exploration of father's experiences and perceptions of a support group for men caring for children with disabilities and/or developmental delay

“…Research suggests that to ensure men get the correct support, services should be adapted to their needs (Englar-Carlson, Evans, & Duffy, 2014;Kingerlee et al, 2019). The benefits and experiences of male-only support groups for some father populations are evident in the current literature (Glynn & Dale, 2015;Kerstis, Wells, & Andersson, 2018). However, the benefit of this form of support for fathers of children with DDD is largely unknown and there appears to be a lack of formal evaluation of male-only groups for this population within the current research literature.…”