Patterns of Father Involvement in Low Income Families

描述(申请人提供)：为了在工作和家庭角色中寻找安全感，低收入的父亲努力保持对劳动力市场的脆弱依恋，结果是对他们的伴侣和孩子的依恋。当他们进进出出工作、住所和亲密关系时，这些父亲可能会与一些孩子打成一片，而不是与其他孩子打成一片。这项应用的广泛的长期目标是确定导致临时父亲在工作和家庭边缘的不同参与的条件。具体目标是(1)记录低收入父亲的工作和家庭角色随着时间的推移而发生的转变，(2)探索男性如何解释不同的参与是多个家庭中孩子的提供者和照顾者。这项研究与儿童和家庭的健康有关，因为参与其中的父亲可以提供资源和社会资本，帮助儿童和家庭摆脱贫困。将采用定性研究设计，有目的地对35名在两个或更多家庭中有孩子的不同种族的父亲进行抽样。将使用的方法是两个半结构化访谈，包括带有日历网格的生活史协议(跟踪就业、家庭关系和住所的转变)和父亲参与协议(探索父亲对随时间推移与多个孩子短暂参与的解释)。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In search of security in work and family roles, low-income fathers struggle to remain tenuously attached to the labor market and, as a result, to their partners and children. As they move in and out of jobs, residence, and intimate relationships, these fathers may become involved with some children and not with others. The broad long-term objective of this application is to identify conditions that lead to the differential involvement of transitory fathers on the margins of work and family. The specific aims are (1) to document transitions in low-income fathers' work and family roles over time and (2) to explore how men interpret differential involvement as providers and caregivers for children in multiple families. This research is relevant to the health of children and families in that involved fathers can provide resources and social capital to pull children and families out of poverty. A qualitative research design with purposeful sampling for a racially/ethnically diverse group of 35 fathers with children in two or more families will be utilized. The methods to be used are two semistructured interviews, including a life history protocol with calendar grid (to trace transitions in employment, family relationships, and residence) and a father involvement protocol (to explore fathers' interpretations of transitory involvement with multiple children over time).