Fatherless fathers : impact of fatherlessness as boys grew up to be fathers themselves

Abstract

This study explored how fatherlessness affected boys who grew up in families where the father was absent, and have become fathers themselves. In-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with five participants who were recruited by purposeful sampling. The interviews were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, from which a number of themes emerged from the participants’ accounts, being: lack of control as minors, desire to let go of memories, parentification, fathering as a corrective script, breaking the fatherlessness cycle, having a role model, making sense of the father’s role and family input and effects amongst others. The findings illustrate a strong sense of resilience from the fatherless fathers, in being able to overcome all their childhood challenges and be in a position to give their own children that which they themselves had lacked. Breaking the fatherlessness cycle echoed throughout the study’s findings, whilst becoming a father was a form of corrective script to fill in the void that the father’s absence had left in the participants’ lives. It was also noted that fatherlessness also impacted future generations as part of the family history was lost forever. An implication of the findings of the study is that professionals need to be more attuned to issues of shame and stigma that are intrinsic in the stories of these fathers but at the same time support these fathers as they work together breaking the cycle of fatherlessness.