UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF FATHER-DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIPS AFTER DIVORCE (PARENTING).
Contributors: University of Cincinnati.
Published: 1996
Number of pages: 139
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Developmental.; Sociology, Individual and Family Studies.
Description: The purpose of this study was to describe the meaning of the father-daughter relationship after divorce, from the fathers' perspectives. The research question was, "What were the nature and patterns of father-daughter interactions as discussed by the father after divorce?" Theoretical sampling was implemented for selection of eight divorced fathers who were actively involved with their daughters. Participants were contacted through singles groups and a network sample of individuals within those groups. In-depth interviews were guided by grounded theory methods.

Data were collected until redundancy and saturation of themes occurred and were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Twelve themes were identified and clustered into three categories. The first category, personal consequences of divorce, consisted of the themes: (1) adverse emotional response; (2) seeking help; (3) feeling displaced; and (4) time to be there. The second category, family dynamics, included: (1) visitation dynamics; (2) communication with ex-wife; (3) influence of mother's behavior: and (4) divorce related behavior. The third category, father-daughter dyad, consisted of: (1) connectedness; (2) uniqueness of father-daughter relationship; (3) influence in daughter's lives: and (4) routines and traditions.

The core concept is the state of wholeness. Wholeness occurs when a father re-establishes equilibrium through gaining a sense of control over his life and maintaining emotional resources instead of having these resources dissipated from turmoil and conflict surrounding the divorce. Men who were in a state of wholeness had placed divorce in perspective. They were no longer consumed with the consequences of divorce and therefore, were emotionally available to their daughters. An unexpected finding was that divorce permeated fathers' lives to such an extent that discussion of the divorce consumed emotional energy and interfered with their ability to discuss their relationships with their daughters. Fathers needed to cope with personal and family issues before being able to discuss the meaning of their relationships with their daughters.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-06, Section: B, page: 3654.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI, 1996.

School code: 0045.
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