Abstracts
Abstract
Although parenting a child with a neurodisability (i.e., autism, cerebral palsy, or epilepsy) can be a life-altering experience, fathers have been generally underrepresented in research on parenting and their unique experiences underexplored. The aim of this study was to explore feelings, emotions and their management through a secondary analysis of data from an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis study involving eleven Canadian fathers. The two main themes were as follows: a dance of emotions in the father-child connection and spaces for emotional expression and support. Drawing on Hochschild’s theory of emotion work and theories of masculinity, the complexity and contradictions of this parenting experience are revealed. We suggest that attending to the emotional work of fathers may help social workers connect with and support them.
Keywords:
- Fathers,
- emotion work,
- masculinity,
- childhood neurodisability,
- social work
Résumé
Bien que la parentalité d’un enfant avec un diagnostic d’un trouble neurodéveloppemental (ex.: autisme, paralysie cérébrale ou épilepsie) puisse être une expérience qui change la vie, les pères sont généralement sous-représentés dans les recherches sur la parentalité et leurs expériences uniques sont peu explorées. L’objectif de cette étude était d’explorer les sentiments, les émotions et leur gestion à travers une analyse de données secondaires d’une étude d’analyse phénoménologique interprétative telles qu’ils sont apparues dans les récits de onze pères. Deux thèmes principaux ont été abordés : la danse des émotions dans le lien père-enfant et les espaces d’expression et de soutien émotionnels. En s’appuyant sur la théorie du travail émotionnel de Hochschild et sur les théories de la masculinité, la complexité et les contradictions de cette expérience parentale sont révélées. Nous suggérons que l’attention portée au travail émotionnel des pères peut aider les travailleurs sociaux à entrer en contact avec eux et à les soutenir.
Mots-clés :
- Pères,
- travail émotionnel,
- masculinité,
- neurodéficience,
- enfance,
- travail social
Appendices
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