Ugandan Men's Experiences and Perceptions of Their Fathering Roles

The present study investigates the experiences of Ugandan men in their roles as fathers, with a particular focus on perceptions related to fathering roles. Our investigation was motivated by research findings indicating a link between fathering norms and masculine gender roles and ideologies, coupled with literature that has found associations between masculinity threat and substance use, as well as suicidal ideation. The data are from semistructured qualitative interviews conducted with Ugandan fathers. A total of 24 men participated in the study, 12 residing in Uganda and 12 residing in the United States of America. All participants were fathers of at least one child. We identified themes of financial provision, negotiating change in fathering ideals, influence of child gender, influence of sociocultural context, and stress, worry, and anxiety across the data. Our findings indicate that Ugandan men have complex experiences related to fathering, including tensions that are tied to traditional fathering ideals at times and, in other instances, are connected to changing ideals of fatherhood. These findings build on extant literature about men's fathering experiences and contribute to including African, and specifically, Ugandan men and their experiences in the scholarly discourse on fathering. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.