Father‐Involvement in a Refugee Sample: Relations between Posttraumatic Stress and Caregiving

Abstract

Despite increased attention to the role of fathers within families, there is still a dearth of studies on the impact of trauma on father-involvement. This study investigates the quantity of father-involvement and the influence of posttraumatic stress on the quality of involvement in a refugee and asylum seeker population. Eighty refugees and asylum seekers and their young children (aged 18-42 months) were recruited. Measures included assessment of parental trauma (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire), quantity and quality of involvement (quantity of caregiving and Emotional Availability Scales), and perception of the father-child relationship (interview). The results show that fathers were less involved in caregiving tasks and play activities than mothers. No parental gender differences were found on each of the Emotional Availability Scales. Traumatic stress symptoms negatively affected the perception and the actual quality of parent-child interaction (sensitivity, structuring, nonhostility). Nevertheless, almost all fathers described their relationship with their child as good and their child as very important to them. As the quality of father-involvement is of importance to the development of the child, traumatized fathers are as much in need of clinical intervention as mothers. Despite the impact of posttraumatic stress, refugee fathers clearly are involved in the lives of their children. Mechanisms such as a deliberate withdrawal when stressed and compensation might enable affected fathers to step into the interaction when needed, raise the quality of involvement with their child, and diminish the negative impact of stress resulting from trauma and migration.

Relational Patterns Between Caregivers With PTSD and Their Nonexposed Children

“…The impact of paternal psychopathology has been investigated far less extensively. Of the scant evidence available, results have shown similar, but less consistent, patterns between the psychopathology of fathers, parenting, and child outcome (Davis, Davis, Freed, & Clark, 2011;Kane & Garber, 2004;Lee, Taylor, & Bellamy, 2012;Low et al, 2012;Van Ee, Sleijpen, Kleber, & Jongmans, 2013). Consequently, chronic interactional disturbances have been postulated as a mediator in the relationship between parental psychopathology and developmental disturbances in their offspring.…”

Father Involvement: Construction of a Theoretical Model Based on a Literature Review

“…The father's mental health also affects his parenting involvement. Van Ee et al (2013) demonstrated the negative infl uence of posttraumatic stress on the quality of the fatherchild relationship. In addition to the home front situation and the father's sociodemographic profi le, researchers have also investigated the infl uence of the father's paid job on his parenting involvement.…”

Envolvimento paterno: construção de um modelo teórico baseado em uma revisão da literatura

“…Além disso, quanto maior a capacidade do pai para lidar com tarefas fi nanceiras (representada pela renda familiar mensal e pela posse de carros), maior o nível de envolvimento paterno (Shapiro et al, 2011). Em relação à saúde mental do pai, van Ee et al (2013) apontaram a infl uência negativa do estresse pós-traumático sobre a qualidade da relação pai-fi lho.…”