The impact of father absence among Black males and females during childhood

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Black American male and female adults’ perception of their childhood with absent fathers through a phenomenological lens. The theoretical frameworks surrounding this study were Andrew Billingsley’s social subsystems model, Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, and Murray Bowens family system theory. The research question that guided this study was: 1. What are the lived experiences of Black American adult males and females raised in nonresidential father figure homes? Data was collected from ten participants using a semi-structured interview process. The data that was gathered was transcribed verbatim and integrated through a first and second-cycle coding process. The coding process that was utilized during the first cycle coding was: holistic, initial, and emotions and values coding. The second cycle coding process allowed for the development of the following themes: (1) father involvement, (2) the reality of father absence, (3) resilience and support, and (4) moving forward. The results from this study provided insight into the lived experiences of Black males and females that encountered father absence during their childhood. More importantly, this study highlighted the resilience among such participants and the need for Black fathers to fill the void of not being present in the lives of their children.