Fathers, like anyone else, experience good and poor mental health, but there hasn’t always been a conversation about it. Because of this, we know very little about how becoming a father affects men’s well-being.
Thanks to a number of campaigns and annual events like ‘International Fathers’ Mental Health Day’, issues that dads face during their fatherhood journey are beginning to be shared and gaps in knowledge and support highlighted.
Fathers of children with disabilities
Parenting can be hard for any parent, however for those raising a child with a disability there can be a range of additional stresses and challenges which have the potential to impact individual and family well-being.
While the challenges associated with raising a child with a disability are very well-documented, they are mostly informed by research with mothers of children with disabilities. Mothers’ views and experiences clearly are very important, however, they do not necessarily reflect those of fathers.
Knowing more about paternal mental health and well-being could help shape the kinds of support available to fathers.
Shaping child outcomes
We know that the well-being of parents has an impact on children. Mental health difficulties not only affect an individual but those around them. Parents experiencing poor mental health are more likely to have poorer relationships with their children, which can negatively impact children’s health and well-being.
Given the important role that fathers play in children’s lives, their well-being is therefore important not only for its relevance to fathers but also because of its potential to influence child outcomes. Fathers need to take care of themselves as well as their children, however they often do not - their well-being takes a back seat. This is even more the case where their child has a disability.
Supporting fathers with their well-being will have positive outcomes for them and others in their family.
Fathers matter to family research
It is important that fathers are involved in research about their child and their family so that support is shaped by their own lived experiences. However, fathers with and without children with disabilities do not take part in research as readily as mothers.
Providing opportunities for dads to share their stories and examples from their lives is a priority for family researchers. The experiences of fathers of children with disabilities are extremely valuable, particularly as these can help other fathers at the start of their journey, however dads do not always realise this.
As a researcher, I facilitate a ‘Dads of Disabled Children’ Research Advisory Group for fathers of children with disabilities in the local area. The group meets virtually to talk about their experiences, learn about family research, and are currently working together with researchers to create a resource that we hope will be useful for other fathers.
Chris Jones, co-facilitator of the group, and father of a son with autism, reflects on his experience of being involved in the group:
“During the meetings we have talked about ourselves and our experiences. We discussed problems we have all faced such as health, problems with work, and even relationships with family and partners. Discussing these topics enabled me to feel that I was not alone. I found that some of the problems I have suffered and are suffering are not unique to me.
It has been nice to work together to offer strategies or tips on how we deal with the various pressures we face within our lives to create something helpful for other fathers of children with disabilities. Attending this group has been a real positive experience that more fathers with disabled children would benefit from”.
Keep an eye out for the group’s resource, and other opportunities to get involved in father research, in the near future.
Current father research
Dr Emma Langley, Research Fellow, CEDAR, University of Warwick.
Understanding and Supporting the Psychological Well-being of Fathers of Children with Learning Disabilities.
In addition to facilitating the Dads of Disabled Children Research Advisory Group, I am currently studying the role of father well-being and parenting on the long-term outcomes of children with learning disabilities.
Emma Scripps, Masters Student, Education Studies, University of Warwick.
Predicting the Well-being of Fathers of Children with Learning Disabilities
Emma is exploring whether a range of father, child, and family-level factors are associated with the life satisfaction and distress of fathers of children with learning disabilities.
Qi Wei, Masters Student, Education Studies, University of Warwick.
Paternal Positivity in Families of Children with Learning Disabilities
Qi is researching the concept of ‘positivity’ in fathers of children with learning disabilities to explore whether it is made up of five components: satisfaction with life, satisfaction with family, positive emotion, how confident fathers feel in raising their child, and positive perceptions of their child.
What can we do?
· Take time to celebrate and acknowledge the amazing job that fathers of children with disabilities are already doing.
· Ask fathers of children with disabilities how they themselves are doing, not just about their child and wider family.
· Promote the importance of father well-being for child well-being.
· Harness father knowledge and wisdom – they know more than they think, and examples from their own lives are more helpful than they realise.
· Provide opportunities for fathers to be involved in, and shape, research about themselves and their families.
· Develop appropriate support for fathers, based on solid research evidence.
· Consider the role that we all have in raising awareness of paternal mental health and well-being.
Further links/resources
· Contact a Family: Father guide
· Cerebra factsheet: Emotional well-being for parents/carers of children with a learning disability
· University of Warwick, Cerebra, Mencap, and Challenging Behaviour Foundation: A parent’s guide: Improving the well-being of young children with learning disabilities
· Cerebra Family Research Group Newsletter, CEDAR, University of Warwick
Written by Dr Emma Langley, a Family Researcher at the University of Warwick, with contributions from students Chris Jones, Emma Scripps, and Qi Wei.
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