Breaking the cycle of absent fathers : highly involved African-American nonresidential fathers describe their roles and responsibilities beyond biological paternity

In-depth interviews of African-American nonresidential fathers were used to explore their perceptions of fathering, roles, and responsibilities beyond biological paternity. Participants described their experience, how they derived their meaning of being a father, who influenced that process, and some of the challenges associated with not residing in the home. Results from this study challenge the deficit model commonly used to describe Black families generally and fathers specifically. There are several conclusions frequently found in the literature and popular press that these data contradict. First, the negative connotations associated with the deficit model that imply that most Black men abandon their children and/ or have little if any contact is refuted. Second, the assumption that African-American men do not place a high value on fatherhood or family in the ways that their cohorts in other ethnic minority groups do is rejected. Data suggested that there are African-American nonresidential fathers that are in fact interested and involved in child socialization techniques, discipline, and positive child rearing strategies.