A Qualitative Forum Analysis of Fathers’ Stressors and Support Seeking Behaviour During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Fathers experienced high rates of mental health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social support is crucial to mitigate these problems; however, access to and quality of support were impacted by public health guidelines to increase physical distancing. Online forums offer an avenue for peer connection and support. Yet, minimal research has examined forum use during COVID-19. The objective of the current study was to examine the experiences and support needs of fathers during the pandemic through an exploratory qualitative content analysis of an online social support forum. Posts ( N = 299) and comments ( N = 2597) on Reddit’s sub-forum r/daddit (July and October 2020) were systematically analysed through a Framework Analytic Approach. Findings highlighted five main themes (with subthemes): forum use, family functioning, psychological and health factors, interpersonal functioning, and COVID-19. Findings underscore the critical need for mental health and parenting programs tailored to fathers and informing services to support father and family wellbeing.