Giving Dad the Spotlight: Paternal Experiences of Raising a Child with Cerebral Palsy: How Does This Influence Fatherhood Trajectory and the Meaning of Fatherhood?

Abstract

For approximately the last 45 years, researchers have examined a standardized pathway for an individual’s life course, involving leaving the parents’ home, building a stable career, getting married, having children, followed by retirement and death. Contrary to what was been previously discovered, the life course is no longer considered as linear as it was once thought to be. This statement has been further investigated and proven more specifically among families of children with special needs. This Master’s thesis reviews the perspective of 11 (eleven) fathers of children with cerebral palsy located in Canada and in the United States. Fathers voluntarily participated in a qualitative 90-minute qualitative structured interview, followed by the construction of a historical timeline of key events pertaining to their journey to becoming a father. Qualitative analyses consisted of a content analysis to investigate how fatherhood is constructed and the experiences of being a father to a child with cerebral palsy consist of. In essence, becoming a father to a child with cerebral palsy is an extremely emotional experience as complex and continuous feelings emerge in those transitioning into fatherhood.