Single Fathers And Social Support

Single fathers have, for the most part, been overlooked in research, even though the proportion of children being raised by custodial fathers has been steadily increasing since the 1970s. This exploratory study aims to understand the factors that single fathers take into consideration when deciding which types of social support to use in helping them raise their children. By analyzing the results with the concepts of social exchange theory, we can better understand why some types of support are used and why others are not. Social exchange theory states that individuals will seek interactions with low costs and high rewards. I view decisions about the use of social support in social exchange terms: parents weigh the rewards and costs of using particular forms of support. To study the use of social support, I conducted interviews with twelve single fathers. Subjects were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling. During phone interviews, the subjects were asked a series of questions regarding social support, willingness to ask for help, and their relationships with the mothers of their children. I found the majority of single fathers in this study used friends and family members more for emotional support and advice, and less for physical support. Findings were consistent with the concepts found in social exchange theory. The fathers also stated they were encouraged to ask for help when they became the primary caregivers for their children. Overall, the fathers did use family members and friends for physical and emotional support and advice with their children.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A. in Sociology

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Sociology and Anthropology

Year dc:date.available

2013

Author dc:creator

• Howe-Huist, Elizabeth Suzanne

Contributors dc:contributor

• Elise S. Lake
• Jeffrey Jackson
• John J. Green

• Single Father
• Social Support
• Sociology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/855

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:egrove.olemiss.edu:etd-1854