Jeffrey Shears

Exploring Fathering Roles in Low-Income Families: The Influence of Intergenerational Transmission

This study explores the meaning of fathering among men identified as fathers or father figures of 24-month-old children enrolled in Early Head Start research sites. Fathers were asked open-ended questions about their experiences of being fathers and their relationships with their own fathers. These men spoke of how important “being there” was for them in their relationship with their child as well as how the relationship with their own fathers influenced them as a parent. This study supports the theory of intergenerational parenting and furthers our knowledge and understanding of what some men feel are important aspects of being a good father. A theoretical framework on why men may model their fathers behaviors is offered, as are implications for practitioners.

Lessons Learned from Early Head Start for Fatherhood Research and Program Development

This Special Issue presents a series of studies on men who functioned as fathers in the Early Head Start National Evaluation Study. The pieces focused on how these men viewed themselves as fathers, what they did with and for their children, how that mattered in the lives of children, and what Early Head Start programs were doing to try to foster positive involvement of fathers in the lives of their children. This final article reflects on those efforts and tries to place them in the broader literature on family life among the poor and governmental efforts to assist those families. Special attention is given to the complexity of family life in the 21st century and to the challenges that face men who are often trying to parent in highly uncertain and unstable conditions.

HIV/AIDS Course Content in CSWE-Accredited Social Work Programs: A Survey of Current Curricular Practices

The authors surveyed program directors at all bachelor of social work and master of social work programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education using an online tool that assessed whether and how their respective social work programs are covering content related to HIV/AIDS. Of the 650 program directors, 153 (24%) participated in the survey. Programs reported coverage of HIV/AIDS content in various foundation content areas, including human behavior in the social environment, populations at risk, and social work practice. The authors also surveyed use of various pedagogical methods, and respondents reported the most use of guest speakers, lectures, and readings in delivering HIV/AIDS content. More than 70% of bachelor and master of social work programs reported having at least 1 field placement specific to HIV/AIDS. In addition, the authors evaluated social work textbooks for specific content on social work with HIV/AIDS, and recommendations are made for inclusion of more HIV/AIDS specific content.

Understanding Key Barriers to Fathers’ Involvement in Their Children's Lives

Fathers who are uninvolved or play minimal roles in their childrens lives may unwittingly have adverse effects on their psychosocial development. In 2003, only 54% of nearly a half million children in foster care in the United States had contact with their fathers, compared to 72% of children from the general population. There are multiple, complex personal, familial, societal, and agency barriers that limit fathers’ involvement with their children. We provide recommendations for child welfare agencies to modify their policies to be equitable and financially helpful to fathers, and engage fathers in case planning about their childrens safety, well-being and permanency.

Values that Fathers Communicate to Sons about Sex, Sexuality, Relationships, and Marriage

ABSTRACT African American males between ages 13 and 24 are disproportionately affected by unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV/AIDS; indeed, they account for 50% of HIV infections among all youth. Clear communication between parents and their youth about sex is associated with higher rates of sexual abstinence, condom use, and intent to delay initiation of sexual intercourse, which can prevent STIs and unintended pregnancy. However, barriers exist for parents to educate their youth about sexual health. The purpose of this article is to explore the values fathers communicate to their sons to prevent their risky sexual behaviors that lead to STIs, HIV, and adolescent parenthood. This was a qualitative study conducted from May and June 2015. African American fathers (N = 29) who had sons, ages 10 to 15 years, participated in five focus groups across metropolitan and rural North Carolina communities in barbershops. A qualitative content analysis revealed four themes regarding areas that fathers imparted their values onto their sons to protect them from sexual health risks: (a) sex, (b) sexuality, (c) relationships, and (d) marriage. The findings have implications for social work and public health practice.

Married Black men's observations of fathers' teachings about husbandhood

It is important to investigate the ways in which sons learn about marriage from men, including biological fathers, male relatives, and social fathers. This study’s purpose is to explore Black sons’ observations of fathers’ teachings about husbandhood. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 52 married Black men who participated in the Pathways to Marriage project in 2010. Findings highlighted developmental pathways and family processes related to modeling husbandhood, demonstrating trust and commitment, managing conflict, protecting and providing, displaying teamwork and partnership, showing love and affection, and imparting beliefs and values. Implications and recommendations for future studies are also discussed. Fathers are salient for socializing sons with respect to gender roles (Harris, 2002; Leidy, Schofield, & Parke, 2013; Thomas, Krampe, & Newton, 2007). Fathers exhibit behaviors that serve as blueprints for sons’ learning about gender roles, and sons’ gender role socialization is fostered through relationships shared Tera R. Hurt, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University; Jeffrey K. Shears, Joint Master of Social Work Program, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Margaret C. O’Connor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University; Sharon B. Hodge, Black Family Preservation Group Inc. Tera R. Jordan publishes scholarly work using her maiden name, Tera R. Hurt. This research was supported by a grant awarded to the first author from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research. Editorial assistance from Terry Smay was helpful. The first author wishes to thank Dr. Steven Beach for permission to recruit men for this study from the Program for Strong African American Marriages sample. The authors appreciate useful feedback from their colleagues while this manuscript was in development. Finally, the authors are indebted to the 52 married Black men who openly shared their life experiences with the interviewers. Correspondence should be addressed to Tera R. Jordan, Iowa State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, 4380 Palmer HDFS Building, Suite 1364, 2222 Osborne Drive, Ames, IA 50011-4380, e-mail: trh@iastate.edu. with fathers (Bronstein, 1988; Courtenay, 2000; Morman & Floyd, 2006; Sanders, 1996; Shelton-Wheeler, 2013). Moreover, as Halloran (1995) concluded, sons’ recollections of social roles and experiences in childhood and adolescence are useful for learning about male gender socialization. Gender role socialization is significant to attend to because it constitutes an important source of learning about relationship skills, behaviors, and attitudes (Bryant & Conger, 2002). Black sons may learn about gender roles in ways different from adult children from other racial groups. In Black families, biological fathers, as well as social fathers in extended families and community networks (e.g., grandfathers, stepfathers, uncles, pastors, coaches, mentors), serve as gender role models and critical sources of information about family values (Connor & White, 2006; Marsiglio, Day, & Lamb, 2000; Parke, 2004a, 2004b; Parke & O’Neil, 2000; Richardson, 2009; Townsend, 2002; Wallace, 2007). We define a social father as a male relative or a man in a community who models fathering behaviors and invests in children similar to a father (Jayakody & Kalil,

Parent–youth communication to reduce at-risk sexual behavior: A systematic literature review

ABSTRACT There are nearly 110 million cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that annually there are more than 19.7 million new STI cases. Of those, more than half are accounted for by youth aged 15–24 years. Although some STIs are not considered to be life threatening, they can lead to severe health problems, risk of HIV infection, or infertility if they are not properly treated. Some research has shown that parent–youth communication can reduce youth’s at-risk sexual behaviors. The following is a systematic review of the literature on parent–youth sexual communication and family-level interventions designed to reduce risky sexual behavior in youth.

Benefits of a Male's Presence in the Classroom.

An administrator for Family Services, Inc., an organization that serves Forsyth, Stokes, and Davie Counties in North Carolina, asks about the benefits of males in classrooms for young children. This dialogue addresses this question by explaining the general effects that males have on early childhood and by exploring the literature on fathers and their unique contributions to children. Next, the article examines specifically how a teachers gender may affect childrens learning experience by exploring the theoretical literature on gender matching supported by some school systems. The article concludes that having a mans presence in an educational setting would be beneficial, particularly for children who may have little male interaction elsewhere.