2-188 - African American Fatherhood Across Development: Strengths-Based Perspectives and Policy Implications

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Policy initiatives to reduce inequality among African American men and boys often cite the relatively high prevalence of father absence as a key contributor to disparities in child health and development. Nonetheless, relatively little work has actually examined the contributions of African American fathers to the lives of their children and families. This symposium builds on past work by documenting the unique experiences of African American fathers across varying developmental periods. The first paper examines fathers at the transition to parenthood, finding that fatherhood may buffer the impact of socio-contextual risk factors on young, rural, low SES, African American men’s depressive symptomatology. The second paper identifies a unique profile of child-oriented fathers from a sample of low SES, African American fathers of young children. The final paper finds complex associations among stress, discrimination, family support, and father involvement for African American fathers of adolescents.

These multi-disciplinary papers focus on a diverse range of developmental periods and fathering outcomes using three unique samples. They are united in considering influences on fatherhood that are specific to the experiences of African American men. Findings from this symposium counteract stereotyped views of African American fathers by demonstrating a) the importance of fatherhood for African American men’s development and b) the high quality of African American father-child interactions, often in spite of challenging socio-contextual circumstances. This symposium suggests the utility of strengths-based perspectives on African American fathers, and also informs policy and prevention efforts aimed at supporting African American father-child relationships from infancy through adolescence.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chair

• Geoffrey Brown, University of Georgia

Discussant

• Martha Cox, UNC Chapel Hill

Individual Presentations

• Low SES, African American Men’s Depressive Symptoms: The Transition to Fatherhood as a Protective Factor Against Contextual Stress - Presenting Author: Geoffrey Brown, University of Georgia; Steven M. Kogan, University of Georgia; Jihyoung Kim, University of Georgia; Junhan Cho, University of Georgia

• Fathering Against all Odds: Fathers’ Parenting Qualities in Early Childhood and Relations to Child and Family Characteristics - Presenting Author: Dawn Brinkley, University of Texas at Dallas; Margaret O'Brien Caughy, University of Georgia; Margaret Tresch Owen, University of Texas at Dallas; Nazly Dyer, University of Texas at Dallas

• Contextual Stress and African American Fathers’ Involvement during Adolescence: Coparenting and Community Support as Moderators - Presenting Author: Shauna M Cooper, University of South Carolina