2022/10/28 by Shefaly Shorey, Travis Lanz‐Brian Pereira
Medicine · Social Sciences · #Family Dynamics and Relationships #Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving #Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
paper · doi:10.1111/famp.12830
crossref issued 2022/10/28 · crossref published 2022/10/28 · crossref published-online 2022/10/28 · openalex publication_date 2022/10/28 · crossref created 2022/10/28 · crossref published-print 2023/09/01 · crossref deposited 2023/11/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/31 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Single-parent families led by fathers are an increasing demographic globally, Furthermore, single fatherhood is associated with poorer self-reported health and mental health, lifestyle practices and habits, increased health complications, psychological symptoms, hospital admissions, and higher mortality. However, there is still a dearth of evidence exploring single fathers' experiences. A systematic review and meta-synthesis were conducted using Sandelowski and Barroso's approach. Six electronic databases were searched from each database's inception to December 2021, and 34 studies were included in this review. In total, six themes were synthesized: (i) "Doing it alone": Double the work, stress, and tears; (ii) Beyond ambivalence and towards stability, (iii) Walking into the lion's den; (iv) Education as a foundation for a better future; (v) "Single but not alone": Support systems; (vi) "Reconceptualising my predicament": Double the love and growth. Our findings suggest the need to: help fathers better navigate their relationships with their children and ex-partners, increased awareness and availability of parent-teaching and support programs, and reform guidelines and policies to enable greater participation and involvement of fathers in future judicial systems, and social and public assistance services.