Perspectives on Nonresidential Paternal Involvement and Grief: A Literature Review

Abstract

This article reviews literature regarding nonresidential paternal involvement postdivorce. Attempts have been made to understand nonresidential fathers’ contact with their children from a variety of perspectives including level and quality, theoretical, sociocultural influences, legal, maternal, childhood, paternal, and paternal postdivorce grief. In most cases, the authors found elements of grief throughout the literature. However, current literature has not integrated these elements into a framework for understanding fathers’ postdivorce contact through a grief lens. Thus, this article explores the issue of familial and paternal grief and makes suggestions for future areas of research.

Family Form, Desired Parental Involvement and Troubled Ruminations about Fathers and Mothers

“…The vast majority of divorced fathers are noncustodial parents and a large portion of these non-custodial fathers have infrequent or no contact with their children (Dudley, 1991). It has been seen that paternal involvement after divorce decreases and continues to decline in the intervening years (Spillman et al, 2004). According to Stephens (1996), approximately 50% of children in single-parent households have little or no contact with their fathers and only 25% of children see their fathers once per week.…”

“…Society tends to use an individual's failure in a marital relationship as an indication of potential failure as a parent. This failure to differentiate between the spouse-role and the parent-role could exacerbate the decline in parental involvement due to the resulting doubts and guilt generated in parents (Spillman, Deschamps, & Crews, 2004). The continuing relationship between divorced parents is an important factor contributing to the child's post-divorce adjustment (Ahrons, 1981).…”

“…Unfortunately, societal beliefs continue to treat mothers as the "naturally" better parent. In addition, the legal system continues to define paternal involvement in terms of financial support (Spillman et al, 2004). Given this primitive standpoint, it is no wonder then that almost 90% of the time, the mother receives full custody, restricting the father to a few weekends and occasional vacations (Stephens, 1996).…”

Two homes that used to be one: What has grief got to do with it?

“…However, the Convention of the Rights of the Child (United Nations, n.d.,), which Australia ratified in 1990, has provided political and quasi-legal support for research that engages children themselves in matters which impact them (Holland, Renolds, Ross, & Hillman, 2010;Qu & Weston, 2014). It is strongly evident in the progression of separation research that there was an initial reliance on third-party reports of parents, particularly mothers (Spillman et al, 2004), as well as teachers, about children's coping (Warshak, 2003).A shift in research agenda is evident since the 1990s. This marks an increased support for participative research (Cocks, 2006;Holland et al, 2010;Percy-Smith, 2010;Powell & Smith, 2009), which allows children to express their experiences (Ebling, Pruett, & Pruett, 2009), as well as their interpretations of these experiences (Sviggum, 2000) and to talk about issues in society that affect them, such as the family (Graham & Fitzgerald, 2010b;Mishna et al, 2004;Qu & Weston, 2014).…”

“…Applying bereavement frameworks in separation research is an under-researched topic (LaumannBillings & Emery, 2000). In relation to a grief perspective particularly, it is argued that the direct accounts of children themselves are needed in order to more fully understand their subjective experiences (Spillman et al, 2004), which third-person accounts cannot provide.Furthermore, the DPM has not been applied in research to children's grief experiences, nor to the loss experiences of separation. This study is, therefore, exploratory and seeks to break new ground in regards to the usefulness of the DPM in assisting our understanding of children's adjustment to a non-bereavement loss, namely separation.…”