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Just Doing What They Gotta Do

Single Black Custodial Fathers Coping With the Stresses and Reaping the Rewards of Parenting

Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, roberta.coles{at}mu.edu

For single African American custodial fathers, parenting stress is exacerbated by the cultural expectation that Black fathers are "normally" absent and by the clustering of stresses that Black men are more likely to encounter. This sample of African American fathers have used a repertoire of problem-focused and cognitive coping strategies, including some that are frequently considered "culturally specific." Twenty Black single custodial fathers are interviewed and their narratives are analyzed for concepts and thematic categories related to stress and coping. Their narratives indicate that certain strategies are avoided because (a) these strategies are not available to them and (b) they desire to present themselves as independent and competent, thus resisting stereotypes and building a sense of efficacy.

Key Words: African American fathers • single fathers • coping • stress • parenting

This version was published on October 1, 2009

Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 30, No. 10, 1311-1338 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0192513X09339290


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