Black fathers' personal histories, worldviews, and fathering behaviors

Objective We examined links between boyhood and fatherhood in a thematic analysis of Black men's narratives about their childhood histories, connection of these experiences to their views about fathering, and descriptions of their fathering relationships and behaviors. Background There remains a critical need to understand how Black men father in a sociohistorical context that defines them as absent or deficient. Method We conducted in-depth, semistructured qualitative interviews with 30 Black fathers with children in 4-year-old kindergarten through grade 12 education. We used life course theory and an integrative model of child development as conceptual frameworks to guide a mixed deductive-inductive analysis. Results We identified three categories and seven themes within the categories: Personal History (Intergenerational Relationships, Negotiating Race and Racism, Turning Points), Fathering Worldview (Being a Father: The Nurturer, The Educator; Fathering Black Children), and Fathering Relationships and Behaviors (Father-Child Interaction, Racial Armoring). We also identified fathers' explicit connections of their Personal Histories to their Fathering Worldviews and, thereby, their Fathering Relationships and Behaviors. Conclusion This article addresses ways that Black men make sense of their personal histories and connect these histories to how they raise their children. Implications This discussion of intergenerational linking of lives and turning points has significant implications for understanding Black family development in the racialized context of the United States and highlights the need for comprehensive mental health support for Black men and their families that focuses on racial trauma along with conceptual and empirical focus on impacts of anti-Blackness on individual and family well-being.