Fatherhood and Mental Health in Forensic Inpatient Services
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Fatherhood and Mental Health: Experiences of Fathers from Forensic Inpatient Services
IRAS ID
242091
Contact name
Michelle Wells
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 3 days
Research summary
The primary focus of the parental mental health literature has been on the negative effects that parenting can have on children (Francois, 2010). However, there has been recent growing interest in the experience of parents who have mental health difficulties (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2011). The focus has largely been on mothers, but there has been recent interest in fatherhood (Krumm, Becker & Wiegand-Grefe, 2013). Nevertheless, research on fathers in inpatient services remains limited (Grube, 2011), particularly forensic inpatient settings (Evenson, Rhodes, Feigenbaum & Solly, 2008).
Parrot, Macinnes & Parrot (2015) interviewed mothers and fathers in a medium secure forensic service in the UK. Findings indicated that parenthood was central to personal identity. Separation from children led to feelings of loss, shame, responsibility and failed expectations of parenthood. Fathers were less likely to maintain contact with their children, which negatively impacted on their self-esteem. However, the identity of being a father continued to remain.
Evenson et al (2008) identified themes of grief, exclusion and threat towards the stability of the parent-child relationship. Fathers who had experienced inpatient admission spoke of their distress at being separated from their child. However, due to mental health stigma, shame and wanting to protect their child, they did not allow their child to visit.
It is important to recognise how services can support service users in their parenting role (Goodyear et al, 2015). The current research will interview fathers who are in forensic inpatient settings in Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health B. Interviews will last 60 - 120 minutes. Individuals in private and community settings wil also be involved. Transcribed interviews will be analysed using Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2006) which aims to identify themes from individual’s reported experiences. The proposed research seeks to contribute to the existing literature and identify recommendations for future research.
REC name
Wales REC 1
REC reference
18/WA/0124
Date of REC Opinion
16 May 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion