Fatherhood Research Bulletin Australian Fatherhood Research Network Bulletin 47, May 2019

The Bulletin is produced by A/Prof Richard Fletcher (editor), Dr Elaine Bennett, Dr Elisabeth Duursma, Dr Jacqui MacDonald, Dr Dawson Cooke, Dr Jennifer

StGeorge & Associate Prof Campbell Paul and Miranda Cashin. We acknowledge the support of The Family Action Centre, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The

University of Newcastle

DADS and PLAYGROUPS

Arnolds Creek Playgroup photo courtesy Melton City Council and Playgroups Victoria

PAGE 2 Fatherhood Research Bulletin

In this issue

AUSTRALIAN FATHERHOOD RESEARCH CONSORTIUM 3

ON THE WEB

• Follow-up on shared parental leave 4

• Dad La Soul 5

• Webinar: Postnatal Depression and Anxiety

—Helping Dad to Help Mum and Bub 5

PROGRAMS AND FATHER INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

• City of Casey Dads Matter Program 6

• Dads Playgroups—developing the role of Playgroup Victoria 7

• Salvation Army ‘Men as Fathers’ Portfolio 8

• Leigh, Community Playgroup facilitator 9

RESEARCH

• Fathers role changes over recent generations 11

• Fathers as sex educators 13

ONGOING RESEARCH

• Creating an Australian Fatherhood ecosystem map 16

• Beer Gut or Baby? General knowledge of Pregnancy and

Outcomes Survey 17

Continues next page

PAGE 3

AUSTRALIAN FATHERHOOD RESEARCH CONSORTIUM

Bulletin 47, MAY 2019

The Australian Fatherhood Research Symposium 2019

The 2019 Australian Fatherhood Research Symposium was held at Deakin University, Melbourne on May 2nd and 3rd.

This year, 60 attendees came from across Australia representing academics, practitioners, policymakers, health service

and community workers.

DAY 1

The first day of the Symposium saw keynote presentations by Professor John Aitken, University of Newcastle, on de-

clining rates of fertility, Emma Walsh, Parents At Work, on shared parental leave, and Professor Paul Ramchandani,

University of Cambridge, on paternal depression and play.

Powerpoint slides from the talks by Emma Walsh and Paul Ramchandani are available on the Fathers & Family Re-

search Program website here https://www.ffrpweb.com/fatherhood-research-symposium

The gist of the talk by John Aitken can be seen in this video clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUQMOY77KOY .

Professor Paul Ramchandani’s talk was featured on the Father Hood https://www.the-father-hood.com/article/playing

-with-your-kids-can-change-their-lives-the-worlds-first-professor-of-play-explains-why/

A panel discussion featuring Emma Walsh, Associate Professor Rebecca Giallo. from the Murdoch Childrens Research

Institute, and Glen Poole, from the Australian Men’s Health Forum, discussed opportunities and ways to inform policy

that supports fathers. Also, across three sessions, attendees gave mini presentations on new research and programs.

In a summary of the range of activities on Day 1, Dr Karen Wynter, noted the following words and phrases arising

through the day:

Researching, Normalising, Creating partnerships between services and researchers, Supporting, Starting conversations, Raising awareness: https://dadsgroup.org/man-with-a-pram-2018/, Providing services for dads / whole families, Being relentless, Being a mouthpiece www.the-father-hood.com, Asking fathers about their experiences, Informing social policy. And these quotable quotations:

The rising tide of male infertility: The sperm cells get to the egg, and they don’t know what to do! John Aitken

PAGE 4 Fatherhood Research Bulletin

ON THE WEB

It’s about what you do and not what you are. This is an important shift in understanding parenting behaviours. Jennifer StGeorge (The text messaging intervention) changed him from being the father he thought he should be to the father he want-ed to be. Chris May “Primary” and “secondary” carer labels perpetuate the stereotypes that we have. Emma Walsh To be home on parental leave, we could say it is management training Swedish father Strategies should focus on dads…but you ARE the strategy. Why don’t YOU focus on dads? Glen Poole Depression and play are two ways of thinking about fathers’ early influence on children. Paul Ramchandani

DAY 2

On Day 2 of the Symposium the four existing Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium working groups (Literature Review; Data & Analysis; Intervention; Science Communications/Policy) met to develop their projects and two new in-terest groups were formed: A Father–Inclusive Practice Interest Group will be chaired by Julie Graney julietgraney@gmail.com from Kids First Aus-tralia and Claire Ruthven from Merri Health Claire.Ruthven@merrihealth.org.au . Please contact Julie and Claire if you would like to share ideas, knowledge and experiences about father inclusive practices. A Postgrad Students and Early Career Researcher Interest Group will be chaired by Dr Jennifer StGeorge (jennifer.stgeorge@newcastle.edu.au) and supported by Lauren Francis (Deakin University PhD candidate) lau-ren.francis@deakin.edu.au. This group aims to support knowledge exchange and collaborations between students that will build their research track records. Already one cross-institutional student collaboration has emerged among doc-toral candidates who met at the symposium. Please email Jennifer and Lauren if you would like to be part of this group.

Follow-up on shared parental leave Our Fatherhood Research Network Bulletin 43, August 2018, featured several articles on the issue of shared parental leave. On May 2 Emma Walsh presented to the 3rd Fatherhood Research Symposium on the topic of Normal-ising the conversation about men taking pa-rental leave. Members of the Fatherhood Re-search Consortium (free to join) can access the slides from this presentation on the Con-sortium website here http://mappresearch.org/fatherhood-consortium Last week the ABC posted a story on ABC Life Dads overcoming the barriers in the workplace to taking parental leave with several accounts of fathers who had managed extended leave and some who had been refused “Then the HR manager told him, "Come on, mate … you know this is just for chicks, don't you?'" The story can be accessed here https://www.abc.net.au/life/dads-taking-paternity-parental-leave-in-australia/11055054 And for advocates for women’s views see http://www.powertopersuade.org.au/blog/fathers-face-a-flexibility-stigma-time-for-policy-and-cultural-change-to-support-fathers-using-flexibility/10/12/2018

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Dad La Soul

In this Huffington Post video Dan Flanagan, a former media analyst from Worthing, West Sussex in the south of England describes why he quit his job to set up fathers’ groups under the banner Dad La Soul https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2018/11/20/i-set-up-a-father-friendly-parenting-group-so-dads-wont-feel-alone_a_23595239/

Bulletin 47, MAY 2019

Webinar: Postnatal Depression and Anxiety - Helping Dad to Help Mum and Bub

This webinar was supported by Mission Australia (Communities for Children) and conducted in April 2019.

There are a range of services providing support and information to mothers experiencing perinatal depression/anxiety

yet evidence, both local and international, shows that mums are most likely to turn to, and rely on, their parenting

partner (usually the baby’s dad) when seeking support. The quality of his support for her is an important predictor of

her outcomes but there is little guidance for practitioners on how they can work with dads to help him support her at

this time.

This webinar provides evidence-based, practical insights into ways that clinicians can work with fathers to enhance

their ability to negotiate and provide support to Mums experiencing perinatal depression/anxiety.

PAGE 6

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Fatherhood Research Bulletin

To view the ZOOM recording click on the following link https://www.ffrpweb.com/webinar-pnd (Note that this record-ing starts after introductory slides and SMS4dads promo video). If you wish to see the SMS4dads video (Slide 3) you can find this at https://youtu.be/HaWMZDHDmsM For further information about the Webinar contact Richard.fletcher@newcastle.edu.au

PROGRAMS AND FATHERS INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

City of Casey Dads Matter Program

The City of Casey recognises that dads

matter; that the integral role a father plays

in a child’s life is critical to positive child

development and the fabric of a healthy

Casey community. In 2007, Casey Council

established a dedicated program for dads

developed and run by dads, that celebrates

and recognises the importance of father-

hood and engages fathers as active contrib-

utors to their children’s development.

Known as Dads Matter, the initiative has

grown to deliver over five free programs a

week in 2019, facilitated by two Fathers

Inclusive Activity Workers, providing di-

verse opportunities for fathers, grandfa-

thers father figures and their children to

spend quality time together.

The City of Casey, in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, supports over 150 diverse cultures and is one of

the largest and fastest growing regions in Australia, with a current population of 340,419 (Australian Bureau of Statis-

tics 2018). Programs developed for fathers and children therefore are required to be flexible, diverse and localised to

ensure engagement and accessibility.

The Daytime Dads Playgroup currently supports a core group of 5 fathers and their children 0-6 years, during the day.

Together they enjoy a safe and exciting play space that encourages them to spend quality time together while social-

ising with other dads and children. Each Tuesday morning during school terms, Pop up Playgroup sessions in parks, co

-facilitated by a Fathers Inclusive Activity Worker, engages families including fathers and grandfathers. The Pop up

Playgroups move around the municipality, staying in each park for four weeks at a time. This program has engaged

over 2800 participants since term 2 2018, helping to link families to Dads Matter Programs, Playgroups, Maternal and

Child Health, Kindergartens, Family Day Care and local services.

For fathers that work, programs such as Read Play Make, Dads Little Builders and Cook it with Dad are offered at flexi-

ble times including evenings and Saturday’s. Currently facilitated by a Fathers Inclusive Activity Worker, 15 families

spend two hours cooking together in a local children’s centre, learning about healthy eating and enjoying social net-

working. Dads Little Builders currently supports 12 dads to connect with their children through creating and building,

while developing children’s practical and creative skills. With parental supervision children use real tools, including

power tools, to create amazing individual projects.

PAGE 7 Bulletin 47, MAY 2019

The annual Campfire Night run by Dads Matter attracts over 100 participants annually. Held at the City of Casey Youth

Hub, fathers and children enjoy games, cooking marshmallows over a fire, sausage sizzle and entertainment. School

campfires are facilitated by the Dads Matter program with the provision of equipment like campfire kits and giant

games. Providing campfire nights at local schools promotes to strengthen school’s partnership with dads and male

role models. Since 2016, over 3,000 fathers and children have participated in campfire nights in local schools.

Read Play Make attracts families from diverse cultures and generations who participate weekly in literacy experienc-

es. Dads, grandfathers, toddlers and children spend quality time together while developing literacy and numeracy

skills and having fun. Twelve families currently attend the Read Play Make program each Thursday night at the local

library.

Contact: Kim Reynolds, Team Leader Playgroup Development Child, Youth and Family. kreynolds@casey.vic.gov.au

Dads Playgroups – developing the role of Playgroup Victoria

Danny Schwarz, CEO at Playgroup Victoria.

Playgroup Victoria is the peak playgroup body in Victoria. We work to support

local government and organisations who are working on the ground with play-

groups. In Victoria, about 3,000 community playgroups happen every week.

We also provide professional development for about 200 supported playgroup

facilitators across the state. Our Vision is Fun, learning and friendship through

playgroup. Overall, we aim to ensure playgroup is recoginsed as integral to

learning, development and wellbeing during early childhood.

There hasn’t been a focus in the past in relation to dads particularly. My in-

terest is in engaging men at a much more intensive level in relation to what it

is that they have to offer as a valued participant in the parenting role with chil-

dren. I am keen to increase our focus on creating societal change that enables men, families inclusively, however

men in particular to see that participating in an activity like playgroup is integral and adds value to their parenting.

One of the issues, in terms of the tradition of playgroup, is thinking about whether we actually need to call it

‘playgroup’ because the language that is used is vital to engage men. Unfortunately, there is an inherent connection

between the word playgroup and what it is that women do together. That is not to say that men don’t go to play-

groups because they certainly do but largely it’s not something that they would easily connect themselves to.

We don’t have a concrete plan for engaging with fathers at the moment. We are able to engage with councils who

are either already doing things with fathers themselves or who are willing to take on the idea.

For example, one council wanted a dad’s playgroup and asked us to run it. So, every month for a year we went to a

maternal child and health centre and ran a dads playgroup. We talked with the dads about how things could contin-

ue if we didn’t come, and a couple of dads volunteered to keep it going, they could come and open the building. That

initiative was successful however we don’t have a specific model that we could scale that up at the moment. We are

trying to identify a more structured approach to fathers in terms of how we would facilitate the cultural change that

is needed.

In terms of my experience I also understand that fathering is learnt and developed based on how things have been

modelled in your life. While my father was an exceptional human being, there was very little emotional connection. I

can see clearly with my children, how emotionally connected I am to them and I can see already that the way they

interact with others and will continue to interact over time has been impacted by that, which is fantastic, very ex-

citing. Continues next page

Fatherhood Research Bulletin PAGE 8

Continues next page

I think part of the opportunity for us at Playgroup Victoria is to get men together to talk. Then these are the sorts of

things can happen; men can talk about their family. Out of that comes that it’s okay to hug and kiss your children and

to talk to your children about how they’re feeling and to talk to them about how you’re feeling. I’ve certainly spoken a

little bit about that when I’ve gone to Dad’s Playgroup and I’m not telling any of the fathers that I speak to in those cir-

cumstances news. In many cases it’s certainly the first time that they have started talking about it amongst themselves,

about how it is with their parenting with their children. These conversations are vital in terms of an opportunity to

make a societal and cultural change about the way it is that fathers think of themselves, and the important role that

fathers have in parenting.

I think the only way that we’re going to get those conversations happening is by having men at dads’ group meetings.

Over time if you develop a relationship with other people and particularly with other men you do start talking about

things that you would not normally talk about. So while initially those conversations, if they’re not instigated might not

happen, they will happen over time. I think

the opportunity we have, if playgroup was

to become embedded in the system, like

kindergarten for example, is an opportunity

to instigate those conversations because

they become part of the structure. Joining a

dad’s playgroup will then become some-

thing that dads expect to do. When this

happens, we will be a step closer to men

feeling like and being seen to have an equal

and valuable role in the parenting of their

children.

Contact: dschwarz@playgroup.org.au

Playgroup at Arnold’s Creek Victoria

Salvation Army ‘Men as Fathers’ Portfolio

The ‘Men as Fathers’ portfolio has been designed to support fathers in their parenting role to achieve better outcomes

for children and families. The research that was completed by Deakin University demonstrates that the local govern-

ment areas of Melton and Wyndham are major growth corridors within the metropolitan Melbourne growth boundary.

The demands of population growth have contributed to a rise in the complexity of social issues particularly affecting

men and their ability to father their children in a positive way, these include:

• limited access to, and diversity in, local jobs;

• limited access to public transport which places pressure on family budgets, compounds experiences of social iso-

lation, and increases travel time. All of these factors place pressure on the quality of family relationships;

• ABS data reflects average to low family incomes, lower than average educational and health outcomes, and high-

er unemployment rates.

The above social issues can all have an effect on a father’s ability to parent. They increase household and relationship

stressors and the experience of social isolation; these in turn have the potential to effect a child’s social and emotional

development.

PAGE 9 Bulletin 47, MAY 2019

The ‘Men as Fathers’ portfolio is intended to be designed in a manner which acknowledges these barriers to positive

parenting whilst meeting the needs of fathers. The four stages of intervention will be:

• to build connection within the community (support fathers to build a strong and supportive network within their

own community);

• prevent family breakdown;

• in the instance of family breakdown, support fathers to rebuild and positively reengage with their children;

• support fathers in becoming ready to attend evidence based parenting programs like the CaPSS delivered ‘Dads

Tuning into Kids’ parenting education series.

This will be achieved through the provision of three avenues of support:

1. Community development – to establish or grow community run activities in the funding areas to reduce isolation

and allow men to build strong support networks within their communities; for example ‘Dads Group Inc.´ (DGI).

2. One on One parenting support – Provide fathers with one on one support which is tailored to meet the needs of

the individual and their family.

3. Evidence based educational programs – e.g.: ‘Dads Tuning into Kids’, ‘Bringing Up Great Kids’, ‘1-2-3 Magic’,

‘Parenting In a New Culture (PINC)’ and ‘Parenting Under Pressure (PUP)’, etc.

Contact: Shaun Tonkes, Parenting Support Practitioner - Men as Fathers portfolio shaun.tonkes@aus.salvationarmy.org

Leigh, Community Playgroup facilitator

I work night shift a supervisor at a company that makes the plastic pits that go in the ground for the NBN. Normally I

work 10:00pm until 6:00 am which works out quite good because on a Monday and a Friday I come home, have break-

fast and me and the kids go off to playgroup.

Basically I’m there at every playgroup

session just to facilitate new members,

to make sure that everyone’s, you know

in place and the kids are and the dads

are all happy to mingle and stuff and

sort of encourage a lot of conversation

between the dads. My main role outside

the playgroup is with our social media

promoting the playgroup, getting new

members, things like that.

I started going about four years ago

when the two who were running it, their

kids were growing up and they left so I

sort of was given the key so I’ve just sort

of been yeah running, running it since

then. It’s just become part of our weekly routine and the kids love it and I get a lot out of it too.

We have a core group of about four or five dads that are there pretty much most of the time. The youngest kid we had

was a 2 week old, a dad who does foster care.

Continues next page

Leigh with Tori (3) & Jaxon (5)

PAGE 10 Fatherhood Research Bulletin

We’ve got a grandfather that comes down with his grandson. Mum and dad have gone back to work so pa’s put his

hand up and said I’ll watch the kids when need be. It’s good to have a grandfather because you can see that different

relationship between a father and grandson it’s, it’s really quite beautiful.

We’ve got quite a few new dads coming down just now and then or fitting it in with work and other commitments. For

new dads, normally we give him the spiel about welcome to playgroup, this is John, this is Paul, this is Matthew, this is

Mark, and this is their kids and what do you do with yourself and how did you hear about us? We ask a few questions

about the kids and just try and promote conversation. All the other dads that have been going for a while are very

forthcoming when it comes to new dads because we’ve all been there, we’ve all had our first visit at playgroup and we

all know it can be a little bit sort of daunting and sort of don’t know what to expect.

There are two rooms set up. We’ve got one room which is more of an art and craft sort of room and we’ve got a rough

and tumble room which is set up with trampolines and jumping mats and things like that. We don’t do anything that

different to a normal playgroup as far as the kid’s activities. It’s a free range playgroup so the kids will sort of do what

they want to do. One week they might want to have stories read to them so we might do a lot of that. Some weeks

they might just want to jump on the trampoline so we do that.

But I think the main focus with the dads side of it is just the conversation that we might have. We might talk about the

footy and movies and craft beer and things like that. But also about how we do things with our kids. You know every-

one has problems, different problems with their kids. A prime example, I was talking to one of the dads whose daugh-

ter had been bedtime toilet trained. I said “How did you do it?”. He said “Oh we took her to Kmart and said you can

choose whatever undies you want and you wear them to bed and, you know you don’t do wees in them, we’ll wake

you up, and that’s how they bedtime toilet trained her. Straight after playgroup I went to Kmart, did the same thing,

and I can safely say my son he’s now had five nights without wetting the bed so.

I’ve made quite a lot of friends through playgroup. One of the dads popped over last night to watch the footy with me

and have a beer because I was yeah a bit down in the dumps and I wanted to send my wife out because she’d been,

you know waiting on me hand and foot, so my

wife went out, had a mate come over and

watched the footy. That sort of thing that is one of

the great benefits of playgroup.

My main goal at the moment is to, you know pro-

mote, promote the playgroup, get a lot of new

dads down there and build up some, build up rela-

tionship with them and have them see the im-

portance of playgroup and hopefully someone will

say hey I can do this, what do I need to do? And

then I can leave knowing that I’ve done everything

I can and that playgroup can continue because I’d

hate to see it fade out.

Contact: leigh whitten

<lwhittentism@hotmail.com>

Leigh, Tyler and Ash (Tyler’s Dad) Paul and Lily (Pauls daughter) and Jaxon

Continues next page

PAGE 11

RESEARCH

Bulletin 47, MAY 2019

Father role changes over recent generations

FRB Comment by Dr Dawson Cooke. An article by Bosoni and Mazzucchelli (2019) provides an interesting

analysis of recent changes in father role representations, by comparing text within leading fatherhood articles

from 1980-1999 and 2000-2017. They used software to highlight key words and concepts - to see how the two

periods differed in aspects of fatherhood that characterised each period and in how paternal childcare practic-

es were represented. From a very detailed analysis, there appeared to be much continuity between the

‘generations’, with some notable differences, including: the ‘80s and ‘90s tended to have a greater focus on

differences between mothers and fathers, in the new millennium the focus has been more relational (with the

mother and child), recent attention has also favoured the early years of parenting, and shown greater empha-

sis on terms associated with father’s ‘experience’, ‘presence’, ‘involvement’, ‘care’ and ‘work’.

A number of fatherhood publications over recent months have been consistent with these findings.

Tessa Baradon (2019) has provided a comprehensive collection of works relevant for ‘Working with Fathers in

Psychoanalytic Parent-Infant Psychotherapy’ – giving us valuable depth to understanding and working with

the father-infant relationship, from a dozen different leading authors (available as an ebook). Also on the rela-

tional theme, a large longitudinal study (Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study; Petts & Knoester, 2019)

in the US has shown that fathers who took time off work after a child’s birth were more likely to have higher

(partner) relationship quality and coparenting quality over the next few years – partly mediated by father in-

volvement with their child. Australian authors (Boyd, Iacono & McDonald, 2019) reviewed literature over the

past two decades on fathers’ experience of parenting a child with a disability – revealing themes on their ad-

aptation, planning and involvement with health services. And a synthesis of 30 qualitative studies of teen fa-

thering prenatal and postpartum experience (SmithBattle, Phengnum, Shagavah & Okawa, 2019), provides

guidelines for nurses supporting teen fathers and their families through their early stages of transitioning to

parenting.

Researching or working with fathers presents seemingly limitless opportunities to discover new and re-

warding insights about men, families and children. The decades ahead will no doubt bring further challenges

as we experience continuing changes in roles and expectations.

Generations comparison: Father role representations in the 1980s and the new Millennium

In the light of relevant and current debate on the changing role of fathers, this contribution is aimed at analysing the international literature on fatherhood, comparing two distinct periods of time, from the social, cultural and demo-graphic point of view: the years 1980–1999 and the new millennium. This will

contribute to identifying features of the fatherhood transformation in these two contexts, which in fact refer to two generations of fathers. The research questions to be answered are: Which aspects characterize the process of father-hood transformation, in an intergenerational perspective? How are paternal childcare practices represented in differ-ent historical and social periods? An analysis of the academic publications on fathers in Scopus and Google Scholar will be conducted, in the two temporal periods indicated, using T-Lab software, in order to map fathers’ role repre-sentations. Bosoni, M. L., & Mazzucchelli, S. (2019). Generations Comparison: Father Role Representations in the 1980s and the New Millennium. Genealogy, 3(2), 17.

Fatherhood Research Bulletin PAGE 12

Continues next page

Working With Fathers in Psychoanalytic Parent-Infant Psychotherapy Working With Fathers in Psychoanalytic Parent-Infant Psychotherapy interfaces theoretical ideas about fatherhood and their incorporation into the clinical practice of psychoanalytic parent-infant psychotherapy. Often, when a family attends parent-infant psychotherapy, issues of the father are eclipsed by attention to the mother, who is usually the identified patient. Until now relatively neglected in the literature, this book attends to both the barri-ers to psychological work with the father, and to ways in which he can be engaged in a ther-apeutic process. Baradon, T. (Ed.). (2019). Working with Fathers in Psychoanalytic Parent-infant Psychothera-py. Routledge.

Are parental relationships improved if fathers take time off of work after the birth of a child?

Research has begun to examine the consequences of paternity leave, focusing primarily on whether paternity leave-taking increases father involvement. Yet, other consequences of paternity leave-taking have not been considered using US data. This study uses longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine whether fathers’ time off from work after the birth of a child is associated with relationship quality, relationship support, and coparenting quality. We also consider whether these relationships are mediat-ed by father involvement. Results suggest that fathers’ time off of work after a birth and length of time off are each positively associated with relationship quality and coparenting quality one year after a child’s birth. They are also positively associated with trajectories of relationship quality and coparenting quality over the first five years after birth. Father in-volvement at least partially mediates these relationships. Overall, this study suggests that the potential benefits of fathers’ time off of work after the birth of a child may extend be-

yond father involvement and may improve parental relationships. Petts, R. J., & Knoester, C. (2019). Are Parental Relationships Improved if Fathers Take Time Off of Work After the Birth of a Child?. Social Forces.

The perceptions of fathers about parenting a child with developmental disability: A scop-ing review

Compared to mothers, research into the role and involvement of fathers in families with a child with a disability appears limited. The aim was to scope and critically appraise the availa-ble literature, with a focus on fathers' perceptions and experiences of their role in parenting a child with a developmental disability. A systematic search was conducted of research pub-lished from 2000 to 2017 that addressed the aim. Articles were included if data were available about fathers' experiences and/or perceptions of their role in relation to a child with disability; those addressing stress responses to fathering only were excluded. Information was extracted for summary. Twenty‐one studies (12 quantitative, 9 qualitative), conducted across 10 coun-tries, met inclusion criteria. Key themes of qualitative studies included the process of fathers adapting to their child's disability, planning for the future, involvement with health services and how their perceptions and experiences shaped their participation in the family. Results of

quantitative studies demonstrated differences in experiences of fathers compared to mothers as well as in approach-es fathers applied to cope with challenging experiences.

Continues next page

PAGE 13 Bulletin 47, MAY 2019

The review highlights current gaps in understanding the experiences of fathers and their perceptions about their own roles in parenting a child with disability. There is a need for further research into factors that might influence fathers' participation within their families. Boyd, M. J., Iacono, T., & McDonald, R. (2019). The Perceptions of Fathers About Parenting a Child With Developmen-tal Disability: A Scoping Review. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities.

Fathering on tenuous ground: A qualitative meta-synthesis on teen fathering Background: Although teen fathers are a vulnerable group of parents, they have received far less attention than teen mothers. Purpose: We conducted a systematic search of qualitative studies that examined their pre-natal and postpartum experience to better understand teen fathers’ concerns, strengths, and vulnerabilities. Methods: We searched nine electronic databases through September 2017; 29 studies represented in 30 articles met study criteria. All authors independently extracted data from each article. Coding decisions were reviewed weekly and differences were settled by consensus. Results: From pooling the results of 29 primary studies, we describe how a tenuous ground contributes to teen paternity and imperils young fathers’ involvement with their children. In the best of circumstances, the ground begins to stabilize for teens who become involved parents despite significant challenges and hard-ships.

Clinical Implications: Our results contribute to the visibility of teen fathers and the social disparities that imperil father-ing. We provide clinical guidance for strengthening the ground for teen fathers and their families, recognizing that clini-cians often encounter challenges such as interpersonal factors and sociocultural conditions that systematically erode fathers’ ties to their children, partners, professional caregivers, and institutions.

Fathers as sex educators.

FRB Comment by Elaine Bennett Adj Assoc Professor Curtin & Notre Dame Universities The first article (Lucey &

Garfield, 2019), Fathers’ Engagement in Their Sons’ Sexual and Reproductive Health is a study from the USA which

highlights the findings of interviews with 25 father-son dyads from the Bronx. The researchers analysed the partici-

pants' communication around condom use and uncovered common themes surrounding preferences, barriers, and

opportunities for condom education between fathers and sons. The core message of the study (that teenage boys

want to hear from their fathers about condom use) is important. Fathers intuitively know this is a tough topic to dis-

cuss, and despite lacking knowledge at times, they nonetheless possess some innate communication skills that can

be supported and reinforced, such as using humour and starting conversations when they will not be interrupted or

overheard. Several key follow-up questions emerge from this work. What options are available for sons in homes

without a cohabiting or involved father? How can we reach fathers to educate and empower them to be effective

sexual health educators to their sons? Where can fathers turn for reliable information to impart to their sons? The

authors suggest that public health campaigns, partnering with schools, community groups, adolescent sports teams

or social media avenues may be a valuable way to encourage fathers to communicate with their sons about condom

use and to point them toward useful educational resources.

The second article (Bennett, Harden & Anstey, 2018) discusses eight fathers perceptions and practices in educating

their ten year old children about physical maturation, reproduction and relationships. This in-depth study found that

for these fathers who wished to adhere to the cultural imperative for a close father-child connection presented a gap

between their aspirations and actions. Gendered norms for motherhood and fatherhood influenced their roles as

sexuality educators.

Continues next page

Fatherhood Research Bulletin PAGE 14

The third study from South Africa (Lesch & Brooks, 2018) explored the experiences of 15 father-son dyads with 30 in-

depth interviews. The findings indicated that although both fathers and sons believed that fathers have an important

role to play in the sex education of sons, the sexual communication in these dyads were mostly indirect, singular, and

father-centred warnings, jokes or speeches. The men in our study would therefore benefit from interventions that equip

them with knowledge and skills to function as more effective sexual communicators and educators, including the chal-

lenge to expand ideas and practices involving masculinity and fatherhood.

The fourth study (Baker et al, 2018) assessed the feasibility of implementing a HIV/STI risk reduction program for Afri-

can American fathers and sons. Focus groups were conducted with 30 father–son pairs. The adolescents were 11- 19

years old fathers and sons were not in agreement about frequency of communication about sexual health issues. How-

ever, the majority of fathers and sons indicated they would attend a father–son HIV/STI risk reduction program togeth-

er.

All studies reflect the need for further research to explore further strategies that are effective interventions to support

fathers communication and a resource for sex education with their sons.

Fathers’ engagement in their sons’ sexual and reproductive health Despite ongoing efforts to promote sexual and reproductive health (SRH), teenagers con-tinue to engage in risky sexual behaviors. Nearly 60% of high school seniors have had sex, yet only 54% of sexually active teenagers report using a condom during their most recent sexual encounter, down from 62% in 2005.1 Concurrently, rates of sexually transmitted diseases are rising dramatically among adolescents and are increasing at a faster rate among boys than girls.2 A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis re-vealed that over the past 4 years, gonorrhea diagnoses have increased by 67% and syphilis diagnoses have increased by 76%. Nearly 2.3 million new cases of Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in 2017 alone, breaking the previous record set in 2016.3 Clearly, new approaches are needed to address these trends. The landscape of SRH is rapidly evolving; contraception options are changing, and the days of health class and textbooks are going by the wayside4 as teenagers increasingly turn to their cell phones and the Internet for information.5 As the culture of SRH changes, so must

our tactics for sexual health education. Lucey, K., & Garfield, C. F. (2019). Fathers’ Engagement in Their Sons’ Sexual and Reproductive Health. Pediatrics, 143(1), e20182595.

Fathers as sexuality educators: aspirations and realities. An interpretative phenomenologi-cal analysis

Men can play a significant role in teaching their children about sexuality but fathers’ practices and perceptions in this domain remain under explored. This study presents an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of eight fathers’ perceptions and practices in educating their ten-year-old children about physical maturation, reproduction and relationships. A Foucauldian analysis with a focus on governmentality and biopower revealed tensions and contradictions between the fathers’ aspirations and their realities, which appeared to be underpinned by the dynamic, contradictory, shifting, plural nature of fatherhood identities. Whilst fathers wished to adhere to the cultural imperative for father–child emotional closeness, a disparity between their ambitions and their conduct emerged.

Bulletin 47, MAY 2019 PAGE 15

Care appeared to be a deeply gendered concept for the fathers and despite their aspirations for an intimate relation-ship with their children, gendered norms for motherhood and fatherhood prevailed resulting in passivity in their role as sexuality educators. The study concludes by arguing that challenges to structures and subcultural contexts, which may deter fathers from fully engaging with their sons and daughters in this aspect of communication are required. Bennett, C., Harden, J., & Anstey, S. (2018). Fathers as sexuality educators: aspirations and realities. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Sex education, 18(1), 74-89.

Man talk: Exploring sexual communication between fathers and sons in a minority South African community

Much of what is known about father-child sexual communication is based on studies conduct-ed in North America and more research into under-represented groups is needed. Our explor-atory study therefore investigated sexual communication within father-son dyads belonging to a minority group in South Africa. We used a qualitative research design, and a total of 30 in-depth individual interviews were conducted with the members of 15 father-young adult son dyads. Thematic analysis of the data indicated that although both fathers and sons believed that fathers have an important role to play in the sex education of sons, the sexual communi-cation in these dyads were mostly indirect, singular, and father-centered warnings, jokes or speeches. The men in our study would therefore benefit from interventions that equip them with knowledge and skills to function as more effective sexual communicators and educators. Furthermore, we found that limiting hegemonic masculinity ideas underpinned father-son sex-ual communication, which implies that interventions to empower fathers as effective sex com-

municators should also challenge and expand ideas and practices involving masculinity and fatherhood. We also identi-fied context-specific issues (e.g., being mindful of how the idea of explicit sexual communication fits with local con-structions of respectful father-son relationships) that need to be attended to in such interventions. Lesch, E., & Brooks, S. (2018). Man talk: Exploring sexual communication between fathers and sons in a minority South African community. Sex Roles, 1-19.

“You know what you gotta do”: African American fathers and sons perspectives’ on parent–child sexual risk communication and HIV intervention development needs

Context:: Although parents can be influential toward the sexual attitudes and behaviors of ado-lescents, fathers are significantly underrepresented in studies of parental influences on adoles-cent sexual practices and behaviors. Method: This mixed method study assessed the feasibility of implementing a HIV/STI (human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection) risk reduction program for African American fathers and sons. Focus groups were conducted with 30 father–son pairs at a local barbershop. Adolescents ranged between 11 and 19 years old with a mean age of 14.71 years (SD = 2.14). Results: Fathers and sons were not in agreement about frequency of communication about sexual health issues. However, the majority of fathers and sons indicated they would attend a father–son HIV/STI risk reduction program together. Conclusion: This study supports the development of a HIV/STI risk reduction program for that

can enhance sexual risk communication practices among African American fathers and sons. Baker, J. L., Lanier, Y., James, G., Fletcher, J., Delish, M., Opara, O., ... & Stewart, J. (2018). “You Know What You Gotta Do”: African American Fathers and Sons Perspectives’ on Parent–Child Sexual Risk Communication and HIV Intervention Development Needs. Journal of Family Issues, 39(6), 1685-1711.

PAGE 16 Fatherhood Research Bulletin

ONGOING RESEARCH

Creating an Australian Fatherhood ecosystem map

The national fatherhood mapping exercise is being facilitated by: Dom Alford – Support for Fathers project at Relation-

ships Australia Victoria; Grainne O’Loughlin – CEO Karitane; and Tom Docking – CEO Dad Group Inc.

Together we are seeking your assistance to help build an ecosystem map that shows who is providing support services,

programs and initiatives for dads across Australia. We are not funded to do this work and we are relying on your good-

will to help out. Our aim is to highlights the pros and cons in what’s offered to dads and to advocate for an improved

system.

To get us started, can you please complete this very brief form here so that we can list you and your service/program

on the database and continue to stay in touch. We are seeking basic contact information which will eventually be pub-

lished and available to the public. If you do not wish to share your details, at least put down your organisation’s contact

details.

We apologise if you receive this message more than once as Grainne, Tom and myself are sending to contacts from our

own databases (and you may be on each one!) – but figured it’s better to receive three times than not at all! We’d love

to have a first version available in early June, and will send out a reminder or two over the next few weeks so that you

can get your info to us. If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please let me know.

We look forward to sharing further developments on this initiative with you. Thanks for your support.

More detail

• The first step we would like to achieve is to create a database of Fatherhood service providers, what services or programs they are offering and where they are located. Relationships Australia Victoria, Karitane and Dads Group Inc. have started some of this work already. This database will enable the development of “the map”, so that we can get a bird’s-eye view of all the services and their locations for dads in Australia.

• Once we create the Fatherhood map we will share it with you all so that you can check for any errors, omissions or additions and then we can all use the map for further connectivity and collaboration.

• We will update the map at 6 monthly intervals as the fields/services/providers continue to grow. More updates to come.

Contact: Dom Alford dalford@rav.org.au, Grianne O’Loughlin grainne.oloughlin@health.nsw.gov.au, Thomas Docking tom@dadsgroup.org

Bulletin 45, FEB 2019 PAGE 17

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