Date of Conferral
2023
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Melanie Shores
Abstract
AbstractMass incarceration in the United States has resulted in an estimated 19.7 million youth living in fatherless homes. Incarcerated juvenile fathers are contributing to that number. Juvenile fathers who are incarcerated is a socially pertinent topic with significant implications, yet child developmental scholars understudy it. This phenomenological qualitative study was conducted to fill this gap by exploring the lived experiences of adults who, as juveniles, were incarcerated fathers and how they coped with social and emotional stressors while attempting to balance adolescence and defining fatherhood. Five adult males were interviewed and asked a series of four demographic and 18 semistructured questions. The data were coded and placed in emergent themes following the interview process to determine the study's findings. Based on the results, it was determined that the participants could not balance adolescence and fatherhood. The need to be a provider for their child led to criminal activity, eventually leading most study participants to incarceration. This study could be a preventative resource for all juvenile males with children, promoting positive social change.
Recommended Citation
Moore, LaKeasha R., "Parenting From Juvenile Confinement: Adults’ Reflections on Their Juvenile Experience" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 14354.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/14354
