Becoming Fathers: Initial Exploration of a Support Program for New Fathers

Emerging fathers experience a variety of stressors, including identity and role transitions, changes in their relationships, and challenges in developing caregiving skills. Increasing expectations for father involvement in childcare are emphasizing the importance of the father role, but social supports for new fathers remain scarce. Nineteen expectant and new fathers participated in a pilot 5-week group intervention aimed at improving stress coping and involvement attitudes using a combination of mindfulness practices and skill-building for parenting and partner communication. We administered surveys pre- and postintervention to assess efficacy in the areas of stress, depressive symptoms, father involvement attitudes, and mindfulness. Within-participant differences were compared across participants as well as examining individual reliable change. Results indicated initial reductions in stress and depressive symptoms and increases in the mindfulness constructs of nonjudgment and nonreactivity. No significant changes were found in father involvement attitudes. Perinatal intervention specific to fathers holds promise as an underexplored avenue for supporting families across the transition to parenthood.     

“英雄无父”母题在中国叙事中的运用

＂英雄无父＂母题是古代民间叙事史诗中的一个共享性的母题。它在中国叙事文学中被大量运用。从远古时期的历史记载到当代的电视剧创作中,都能看到它的身影。而且它不只是叙述着故事,同时也对塑造中国文化经验起着重要作用。文章试图从＂英雄无父＂母题在中国叙事文学的发生与演变中,找出中国民间文本被规约的过程与结果。     

Ain’t nobody got time for dad? Racial-ethnic disproportionalities in child welfare casework practice with nonresident fathers

BackgroundGiven fathers’ potential role in bringing about desired child welfare case outcomes, researchers have begun to identify factors that impact agency efforts to identify and involve fathers. Racial-ethnic inequality and bias are not among factors studied, despite longstanding evidence that racial-ethnic minority children make up a disproportionate share of the child welfare population.ObjectiveWe set out to identify racial-ethnic patterns in initial casework activity with nonresident fathers and explore whether select factors explain racial-ethnic differentials.Participants and SettingCaseworkers of 1,754 children in foster care in four U.S. states were surveyed.MethodsBivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with whether agencies identified, located, and contacted nonresident fathers.ResultsAgencies were less likely to identify nonresident fathers of Black, Latinx, and Multiracial children, relative to those of White children. Among fathers whom agencies identified, Black and Latinx fathers were less likely to be located. Among fathers whom agencies located, Black and Latinx fathers were less likely to be contacted. Whereas greater rates of international mobility among Latinx fathers explained agencies’ disproportionately low rates of contact, no other factor explained racial-ethnic differentials.ConclusionWe find evidence of historical racial-ethnic disproportionalities across the three initial stages of casework practice with nonresident fathers in U.S. child welfare systems. Though more recent data are needed, this research suggests that racial-ethnic minority foster children are more likely than White foster children to be denied the benefits of agency-father contact, whether due to societal or systemic racial inequalities.     

Paternal involvement in the statutory assessment of special educational needs

There are manifold benefits of parental involvement in a child’s education, but there is evidence of gender imbalances in parental involvement. This article describes research into fathers’ involvement with educational psychologists (EPs) working with children undergoing statutory assessment. A content analysis of children’s files from one educational psychology service was conducted to assess the level of paternal involvement in EPs’ work, and semi‐structured interviews with eight fathers were used to identify factors that affected their involvement with EPs’ work. Fathers were less involved than mothers, and a number of factors affecting fathers’ involvement was identified. The discussion of findings is informed by Community Psychology, Ecosystemic Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, and strategies to promote paternal involvement are identified.     

萨特:接受美学的理论先驱

萨特提出了有关文学接受的一系列观点,如阅读过程中读者的参与、情感的介入、阅读即创造、阅读是读者的预测和期待等。这些观点后来为接受美学理论所接受并被文学批评实践反复证明。其中某些观点虽有偏颇之处,然其功绩不容忽视。     

接受美学的伦理向度

在接受理论美学家看来,文学艺术作品是一种意义多元的召唤性结构。新的文学艺术作品的出现,它是否符合人们的审美期待,伦理价值取向是非常关键的。作者在作品中体现的伦理向度与读者的审美伦理向度是否一致、是否融合,决定了艺术作品的艺术品性和价值实现。我们分析文学的伦理价值取向与读者的伦理价值取向的逆向、阻碍与交锋,并非否定其融合、相通的态势。无论时代怎样演变、社会如何变迁,"真"、"善"、"美"的东西都会有大致相同的内涵。真正的文学审美接受应该是具有审美艺术价值的、具有高尚伦理道德向度的精神活动,文学的伦理价值取向应该导致读者的伦理道德价值取向的拓展。     

Parents resourcing children’s early development and learning

Parents deal with a complex web of choices when seeking and using knowledge and resources related to their young children’s literacy development. Information concerning children’s learning and development comes in many forms and is produced by an increasingly diverse range of players including governments, non‐government organisations and commercial businesses. This study used a survey, interview and artefact collection to investigate mothers’ and fathers’ reported activities in seeking, accessing, producing and circulating information and resources related to children’s learning and development. Differences were found relating to parent gender and level of education. Parents’ resourcing activities are also shaped by their particular goals for their children.     

从贾家“四父训子”解读《红楼梦》中的孝慈文化

《红楼梦》中描写了贾家四个青年男子被父亲教训的场面。＂训子＂的典型事件深刻体现了小说的孝慈文化蕴涵。曹雪芹在书中对封建正统道德文化、儒家文化提出了质疑,既有批判,又有惋惜,还有找寻优于儒家文化的新的理想的迷惘。贾政、贾代儒训子的失败蕴含了作者对儒家道德文化的批判;对贾珍们有失父范的描写是对儒家道德文化的惋惜;贾宝玉作为自由人性的先声,是作者对人生出路和未来理想的一种探索,这种探索充满迷惘——小说结尾宝玉向父亲拜别,表现了对哺育自己的儒家文化的眷恋,反应了作者内心深刻的矛盾。     

‘Start treating me like a Dad!’ The impact of parental involvement in education on the paternal identity of fathers in the English prison system

Notwithstanding the increasing number of UK and international studies focused on parental involvement in education and parental imprisonment there remains little focus upon the involvement of imprisoned fathers in children’s education and the impact of this upon paternal identity. Despite the now accepted perspective that parental imprisonment often impacts negatively on family functioning, child outcomes and parental identity, this qualitative study is distinctive in drawing on the discourse of parental involvement in education, using the lens of identity theory to examine the experiences of 15 imprisoned fathers regarding their involvement in their children’s education and their parenting possible selves as educators. Participants demonstrated limited identity standards in relation to education and sometimes a reduced commitment as a result of this. All offered a vision of their possible selves as educators if contextual barriers were addressed. Possible implications are suggested.