Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Steve Linnville

Abstract

A vast number of researchers have studied the impact that African American father absence has on the developmental outcomes of African American, male children. Others have noted the steady increase of single, African American, custodial fathers and have suggested African American, male children who grow up in these households are likely to experience positive developmental outcomes. However, their research stopped short of examining how this unique family structure impacted child development from the son’s perspective. The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide an understanding of how the childhood well-being of sons was affected by growing up with a single, African American, custodial father. The theoretical framework that directed this study was Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development. Five African American, male adults participated in semi-structured interviews in which they were asked to recount their childhood experiences with their father who took care of them. The interpretive phenomenological analysis method was used to understand their experiences. The interview data were collected on the Zoom audio and conferencing application before being transcribed and coded using Microsoft Word. Three themes emerged from participants’ responses: the role of the father, mother absence, and support systems. The findings revealed that African American male children reared by their single African American custodial fathers had positive developmental outcomes. These findings have the potential to have positive social change by aiding schools, community parenting programs, and social services in establishing methods to aid and protect this vulnerable population during their childhood development.

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