Thackeray Lisa A, Eatough Virginia
Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK.
J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2018 Mar;31 Suppl 2:179-190. doi: 10.1111/jar.12313. Epub 2016 Dec 19.
An in-depth exploration of the experience of midlife fathers of developmentally disabled young adults (aged 19-32 years) was motivated by a dearth of research in this area (McKnight, PsyPAG Quarterly, 94, 2015, 10).
Five fathers participated in semi-structured interviews which were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers and Larkin, 2009, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method, and Research. London: Sage).
The final thematic structure comprises four inter-related themes. They demonstrate a high degree of concern for children's well-being; the joy adult children confers on their father's lives as well as the difficulties men experience in response to the limited opportunities available to their offspring. Importantly findings also illustrate the way in which men struggle to contend with painful emotions.
Societal conceptions of masculinity, fatherhood and disability necessarily influence the way fathers experience the world (Yarwood, Fathering, 9, 2011, 150). It is imperative that service providers recognize the particular challenges faced by fathers, seeking ways to better engage and support them.
由于该领域研究匮乏（麦克奈特，《心理与行为科学研究生协会季刊》，94，2015，10），因此对中年父亲养育发育障碍青年成年人（年龄在19至32岁之间）的经历展开了深入探究。
五位父亲参与了半结构化访谈，访谈采用了解释现象学分析方法（史密斯、弗劳尔斯和拉金，2009，《解释现象学分析：理论、方法与研究》。伦敦：塞奇出版社）。
最终的主题结构包含四个相互关联的主题。这些主题表明父亲们高度关注子女的幸福；成年子女给父亲生活带来的快乐，以及父亲们因子女机会有限而面临的困难。重要的是，研究结果还揭示了男性应对痛苦情绪的方式。
社会对于男子气概、父性和残疾的观念必然会影响父亲们体验世界的方式（亚伍德，《为人父》，9，2011，150）。服务提供者必须认识到父亲们面临的特殊挑战，设法更好地与他们互动并为其提供支持。
