Armon R. Perry

Resident Black Fathers’ Involvement A Comparative Analysis of Married and Unwed, Cohabitating Fathers

Increasing fathers’ involvement with their children has become a priority in recent years. Marriage promotion programs have been offered as the primary vehicles for increasing paternal involvement. Although marriage is likely to provide fathers with increased access and opportunity for paternal involvement, much less is known about the ways in which cohabitation, an increasingly popular coresident family formation, serves to facilitate paternal involvement. Therefore, this study examined Black fathers’ involvement with their children among men in coresident family formations. The data for this study were drawn from a sample of 617 Black fathers participating in the 5-year follow-up data collection wave of the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study. The results revealed that although Black married fathers and Black unwed cohabitating fathers report similar levels of involvement, regression analyses indicate that there are distinct predictors for each family formation. Implications for fatherhood research are also included.

The Influence of the Extended Family on the Involvement of Nonresident African American Fathers

This study investigates the extent to which the extended family provides support to African American nonresident fathers and its influence on their involvement with their children. The data for this study were collected from 278 African American nonresident fathers as a part of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The findings revealed that increased support from the childs paternal extended family was associated with higher levels of father involvement. However, increased support from the childs maternal extended family was associated with lower levels of father involvement. Implications for social work practice are included.

African American Men’s Attitudes Toward Marriage

This study examines the factors associated with African American men’s attitudes toward marriage as well as the circumstances and experiences that helped shape their attitudes. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, survey and in-depth interview data were collected from a diverse sample of African American men. Quantitative results revealed that men’s report of religiosity, their parents’ family structure, and not having a fear of intimacy predicted more favorable attitudes toward marriage. Qualitative analyses corroborated the quantitative analyses, revealing that the participants’ attitudes were influenced by their family of origin and that they viewed the church and the government as central figures in both the retreat from marriage and any viable initiatives aimed at increasing marriage rates among African Americans.

Post-prison Community Reentry and African American Males: Implications for Family Therapy and Health

African American males make up a large proportion of the US male prison population. Fortunately for the African American community and society at large, many of these men will be released back into their communities and go on to become productive citizens. Scant literature exists relative to reentry programs that exist for this population. In this chapter, the authors discuss some of the issues related to prison incarceration, its effects on African American males and community reentry. Family therapy from an Afrocentric perspective is presented as an intervention designed to strengthen family cohesion once these men are re-united with their families. Further, implications for the health of former African American male inmates, their families, and the African American community are discussed. Recommendations for encouraging African American males to seek mental health and family therapy services upon release from prison are given.

“It’s Simply Because We’re Black Men” Black Men’s Experiences and Responses to the Killing of Black Men

Given the recent attention to high-profile cases of unarmed Black men being killed by law enforcement officials and the subsequent #BlackLivesMatter movement, additional work is needed to more fully understand how African American men make meaning of their own personal realities and how they connect with and within the larger narrative of Black life in the United States. To contribute to this literature, the current study analyzes qualitative interview data from 25 Black men focused on their self-conceptions of race, stereotyping, and profiling. The findings reveal the men’s perceptions and experiences with racism and stereotyping, the strategies that they employ in response to being stereotyped and profiled, and their reflections on the recent killings of Black men. This research provides an opportunity to investigate how Blackmaleness—the combined impact of their racialized and gendered identities—connects and operates in the lives of Black men.

Promoting Paternal Participation in Maternal and Child Health Services

ABSTRACT Social service organizations face significant challenges involving fathers. This study presents the findings of a project between a maternal and child health program and a school of social work aimed at enhancing the organization’s capacity for engaging fathers in services. Results revealed that staff expressed a willingness to engage fathers but felt unprepared to do so. In detailing their experiences with the organization, fathers discussed the ways in which they had been engaged and their recommendations for improving those efforts. We conclude by advocating for the adoption of a bottom-up philosophy with regard to fatherhood program development and service delivery.

Beyond the Myth: Addressing Suicide Among African American Males

Historically, African Americans were never considered at risk for suicide; however, in the last 20–30 years there has been a precipitous increase in the number of suicides and suicide attempts among African American males. The authors of this chapter provide an overview of the literature surrounding suicide and African American males. Furthermore, a number of preventative measures are investigated, such as community building strategies, mentorship, and support groups. Lastly, the implications that suicide has on African American males, as well as their families and communities are also explored in detail.

Mothers' and Fathers' Report of Coparenting Relationship Quality, Attitudes Toward Father Involvement, and Paternal Prioritized Roles

Little is known about mothers’ and fathers’ opinions related to the roles that fathers should prioritize in their parenting. To fill this gap, this study analyzes data collected from parents receiving services from an urban Healthy Start program related to coparenting relationship quality, attitudes toward fathers’ involvement, and the roles that fathers should prioritize in their parenting. The results revealed that mothers had divergent opinions from fathers about the roles that fathers should prioritize in their parenting. Qualitative analyses revealed a link between coresidence and reports of good fathering. Furthermore, the reported discrepancies were related to fathers’ expectations that mothers facilitate their involvement and mothers’ expression of fatigue and resentment from feeling responsible for having to facilitate fathers’ involvement.

Family capital: Examining social capital, family commitment, and acculturation among college-enrolled Mexican-American men and women in the Southwestern United States

ABSTRACT Social capital is integral to an individual’s ability to access various resources embedded in social and familial networks that are important in academic access and future success. The types and dynamics of social relationships created by men and women are thought to generate different forms of social capital with factors such as acculturation resulting in differences in intercultural networks and potential resource access. However, the factors that contribute to the development of social capital require further investigation. The current study examines the relationship between acculturation, family role commitment, and various social network characteristics associated with social capital among Mexican-American college-enrolled men (n = 119) and women (n = 196). Several multiple regressions were conducted. Findings indicate that acculturation and family role commitment relate differently to social-capital-network characteristics among Mexican-American men and women. For women, marital commitment was consistently related to social-capital-network characteristics whereas acculturation factors seemed to be more salient among men. Overall, study variables accounted for a larger portion of the variance for social-capital-network characteristics across analyses for men than women indicating that other factors may be at play in generating social capital for women.

Leaving legacies: African American men discuss the impact of their fathers on the development of their own paternal attitudes and behavior

ABSTRACT In recent years there has been an increase in research examining issues related to fathers. Despite these contributions to the literature, studies including primarily African American samples disproportionately feature fathers who are non-resident, low income, or incarcerated. Thus, little is known about African American men from across the social and economic spectrum. To fill this gap, this qualitative analysis features a diverse sample of African American men discussing their relationships with their fathers and influence of those relationships on their own fathering attitudes and behaviors. Findings revealed that most of the participants modeled their fathers’ behavior. The findings also revealed that participants described their parenting as attempts to leave their children and communities with a legacy of engaged fathering.