AfricanCaribbean fathers health experiences'

1
African-Caribbean fathers health experiences.

• Robert Williams.
• School of Health Sciences,
• University of Birmingham.
• Email r.a.williams.1_at_bham.ac.uk

2
Preliminary and substantive stages of wider study.

• Preliminary study individual and group
  qualitative interviews with 66 fathers, from
  diverse ethnic backgrounds living in Birmingham.
• Substantive stage of study two in depth
  qualitative individual interviews with 13
  African-Caribbean and white working class fathers.

3
Background.

• My work in 1990s in health visiting mens
  limited presence in health centres and clinics.
• Fathers marginalised within welfare services?
• Services focus upon women?
• Racialized assumptions about African-Caribbean
  fathers by some health visitors (Williams, 1997).
• Limited empirical UK research about
  African-Caribbean fathering, and the links
  between fathering and health.

4
Methodology and methods.

• In depth conversations semi-structured
  individual interviews.
• 6 African-Caribbean and 7 White working class
  men.
• In paid work.
• Living with a woman partner and some, or all, of
  their children.
• Living in a mixed locality, between the suburbs
  and the inner city.

5
Findings the meaning of fathering.

• Fathering understood as involvement with
  children.
• Emotional reciprocity with children was highly
  valued (especially love).
• Fathering was linked to dynamic notions of
  masculinity

6

• I spend a lot of time doing the girls' hair,
  somehow. And I don't know why I seem to have
  taken over that, and people are shocked, and
  surprised. With Black children it takes hours to
  braid their hair, it literally does take hours.
  They assume that their mum has done it, and they
  say you are good doing that, not many dads would
  do that, and I get a lot of feedback because of
  that I suppose that is just one of the things
  you have to do as a dad.
• (Oliver, West Indian and English, maintenance
  electrician).

7
Health as functional capacity.

• Dominant ways in which fathers talked about
  health was as functional capacity.
• Health was linked to the obligations of paid work
  and family life.
• For me personally good health is not catching
  colds, and being able to get up and get out, get
  to work, and run around with the kids.
• (Brandon, British of Barbadian ancestry,
  police officer).

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Influences on health social class.

• Men had little to say about the impact of social
  class on health.
• Some talk about individual responsibility or
  individual practices (consumption).
• (But see later material regarding paid work).

9
Influences on health ethnicity.

• Health-ethnicity link few stories or
  explanations.
• Some references to sickle cell by some
  African-Caribbean men.

10
Influences on health racism

• Most African-Caribbean men anticipation or
  experience of prejudice, abuse, or discrimination
  .
• Experiences of racism in workplaces, communities
  and everyday encounters.
• Impact of racism conceptualised as pressure,
  hassle, battle, or stress.

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• the job I do is confrontational, and you are
  going into peoples homes and lives. You are
  going into places where people feel most secure,
  and in their opinion this is their castle. I
  come along and I change all those rules. The
  upshot of this is that the person will go on the
  defensive, and they will go for you Black
  bastard!. You get that type of abuse. Because I
  am a sergeant now, I get the stereotypical Who
  is in charge?.
• I am I say.
• You cant be because you are black!
• When I am not in work I get it less.
• (Brandon, British of Barbadian ancestry,
  police officer).

12
Influences on health paid work.

• Work as a source of stimulation, social contact,
  having a laugh with other men, sense of well
  being, and also providing sense of achievement
  for some men.
• Workplace hazards racism, threats to personal
  safety, environmental hazards.
• Tiredness and exhaustion (especially for shift
  workers).
• Stressful volume and intensity of work.
• Insecurity potential unemployment.

13
Influences on health the combined affects of
fathering and paid work.

• Involvement with children was pleasurable,
  stimulating, helped alleviate work stress,
  involved emotional reciprocity (love).
• Fathering also stressful. Some examples
• Potential threats to childrens health and
  security
• Dealing with autonomy and behaviour.
• Negotiating with women partners.
• Complexity of childrens needs
• Tiredness or exhaustion.

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Influences on health the combined affects of
fathering and paid work.

• Mens experienced their bodies changing in ways
  they did not like.
• Limited sense of autonomy, limited scope for
  personal development, limits to career/promotion,
  social life slowed down.
• Being a parent takes a lot really. You tend to
  forget yourself really. You leave yourself out
  really. So you havent got any independence.
  You take a little piece here and there. It is
  not what you would ideally like, but that is the
  way it is.
• (Sylvester, Jamaican first, and English,
  plasterer).

15
Health practices.

• Pleasure in boxing, running, working out,
  jogging.
• Pleasure in having a laugh with other men.
• Pleasure in transgressive consumption smoking
  fags, binge drinking, going on the beer or
  eating treat, junk or crap food.

16
Health practices.

• Negative consequences of transgression
• Changes in body (eg weight, definition)
• Less fitness
• Illness
• Going on the beer linked to loss of control,
  conflict, anger and aggression.

17
Health practices.

• Transgressive consumption also linked to
  constraints of work and family life.
• Transgression helped men with relaxation, stress,
  worry, limited leisure, limited autonomy.
• Transgressive consumption linked to health as
  functional capacity and restricted sense of
  agency.

18
Health practices.

• Ongoing ambivalence about transgressive pleasures
  and the denial of pleasure.
• Experiences as fathers linked to some reflexivity
  about transgressive consumption, and also linked
  to changes in mens practices regarding
  consumption of alcohol, fags, and food.

19
Solitary practices associated with vulnerability.

• Men were involved in solitary ways of thinking,
  feeling and acting to prevent the disclosure of
  their perceived vulnerability.
• Men feared that they may disclose their
  vulnerability to others regarding the
  psychological experiences of stress, health
  concerns or difficulties in personal
  relationships.
• Solitary practices associated with conservative,
  essential masculinities (cavemen stories).

20
Fathering, solitary practices and vulnerability.

• Fathering linked to challenges to solitary
  practices (eg helping boys to overcome solitary
  experiences).
• Fathering associated with dynamic masculinities.

21
Some implications

• Fathering, paid work, racism influence mens
  health health practices require structural
  solutions.
• Transgressive consumption linked to a restricted
  sense of agency but also to health as functional
  capacity.
• Solitary practices (regarding vulnerability) were
  linked to essential conservative discourses about
  masculinity.
• OPPORTUNITIES
• Reflexivity and change linked with fathering
  regarding both transgressive consumption and
  solitary practices.
• Fathering linked to more dynamic discourses about
  masculinity.

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Implications for practice with African-Caribbean
fathers

• Public health interventions that focus upon
  lifestyle, behaviour or choice may be
  inappropriate starting point?
• Opportunities dynamic forms of masculinity and
  changes in health practices, associated with
  fathering, may provide health promotion
  opportunities around
• Identity (masculinity, ethnicity, fathering)
• Relationship skills, communication and help
  seeking
• Emotional literacy
• Autonomy and change
• Fathering practices/skills
• Consumption of transgressive products.