Unheard voices: African American fathers speak about their parenting practices.

Researchers have called for qualitative investigations into African American fathers’ parenting practices that consider their social context and identify specific practices. Such investigations can inform the way we conceptualize African American fathers’ parenting practices, which can in turn contribute to prevention interventions with at-risk youth. We conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews about parenting with 30 self-identified, African American, biological fathers of pre-adolescent sons at-risk for developing aggressive behaviors, depressive symptoms, or both. Fathers provided descriptions of their parenting practices, which were at times influenced by their environmental context, fathers’ residential status, and masculine ideologies. Our systematic analysis revealed four related themes that emerged from the data: managing emotions, encouragement, discipline, and monitoring. Of particular note, fathers in the current sample emphasized the importance of teaching their sons to manage difficult emotions, largely utilized language consistent with male ideologies (i.e., encouragement rather than love or nurturance), and engaged in high levels of monitoring and discipline in response to perceived environmental challenges and the developmental needs of their sons. The findings provide deeper insight into the parenting practices of African American fathers who are largely understudied, and often misunderstood. Further, these findings highlight considerations that may have important implications for father-focused prevention interventions that support African American fathers, youth, and families

Stories of Somali Refugees in Chicago: Exploring Roots and Routes of Migration

This study explored the various migration experiences of Somali refugees residing in Chicago; how such experiences have impacted their resettlement to and integration experiences into Chicago; and how these experiences of migration and resettlement have impacted their ethnic and religious identities. A transcendental phenomenological approach was utilized to conduct the research. Fifteen Somalis residing in Chicago, including ten males and five females with ages ranging from 19 to 70 years, participated in the study. Data on the experiences of Somali refugees in homeland, during civil conflict, in host nation and/or refugee camps, as well resettlement and integration in the United States, were gathered through in-depth, open-ended interview questions, and analyzed using an open-coding process. Informed by critical race theory, a stages-of-migration framework, and place-making theory, the study highlights themes related to homeland, war and trauma, race and racism, and survival through construction of community spaces and reliance on religion and spirituality. There were several key findings, including: 1) participants described an overall positive perception of homeland; 2) history of trauma and exposure to violence have had effects on migration experiences; 3) factors such as age, years in the United States., and geographical location of refugee populations impact their identity and integration experiences; 4) the Muslim ban, and new presidential administration under Donald Trump have directly impacted the Somali community as it caused fear and distress among some of the participants in this study and their families; 5) the East African Community Center (EACC) plays a vital role in the smooth resettlement and integration of the Somali community in Chicago; 6) participants have experienced racism and discrimination, whether overtly or subtly; 7) participants continue to be connected to homeland through transnational networks and play a significant role in supporting their families in East Africa; and 8) Islam has served as a protective factor in the migration route of Somali refugees. This study has several implications for policy, research, community development, social work practice, and education

Unheard voices: African American fathers speak about their parenting practices.

Researchers have called for qualitative investigations into African American fathers’ parenting practices that consider their social context and identify specific practices. Such investigations can inform the way we conceptualize African American fathers’ parenting practices, which can in turn contribute to prevention interventions with at-risk youth. We conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews about parenting with 30 self-identified, African American, biological fathers of pre-adolescent sons at-risk for developing aggressive behaviors, depressive symptoms, or both. Fathers provided descriptions of their parenting practices, which were at times influenced by their environmental context, fathers’ residential status, and masculine ideologies. Our systematic analysis revealed four related themes that emerged from the data: managing emotions, encouragement, discipline, and monitoring. Of particular note, fathers in the current sample emphasized the importance of teaching their sons to manage difficult emotions, largely utilized language consistent with male ideologies (i.e., encouragement rather than love or nurturance), and engaged in high levels of monitoring and discipline in response to perceived environmental challenges and the developmental needs of their sons. The findings provide deeper insight into the parenting practices of African American fathers who are largely understudied, and often misunderstood. Further, these findings highlight considerations that may have important implications for father-focused prevention interventions that support African American fathers, youth, and families