Cultural Influence on Child-Rearing of Hispanic Fathers of Children With Autism

Previous research has explored experiences of non-Hispanic parents of children with ASD, with moms being the most common participants. Traditionally, in the Hispanic culture, men are associated with ‘machismo’, expecting them to be the breadwinners and decision-makers of their household all while maintaining a ‘valiant’ stance (Lindsey, 2018). Since culture shapes values and actions, these expectations affect the lived experiences and coping strategies of fathers. Fathers play a role in the development of their children, so consequently, their stress influences their quality of life and their family (Ahmad & Dardas, 2015). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the cultural influence on childrearing of Hispanic fathers of children with Autism using the PEO Model and the Theory of Stress and Coping. This study has three research aims: to explore the lived experiences of Hispanic fathers rearing a child with ASD, to identify parenting skills/roles and coping strategies for stressors of Hispanic fathers rearing a child with ASD, and to describe the Hispanic cultural influences on the child rearing practice of a child with ASD. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom and in-person. Transcriptions were generated, and manual coding was done to develop themes The findings generated themes such as: Parenting Occupation, Stressors, Coping Mechanisms, and Cultural Expectations The findings indicated that Hispanic fathers are not influenced by the cultural expectations of the Hispanic culture in their role as a father, but they do continue to follow a type of male culture. It was revealed that fathers are balancing work and family life to spend more time with their children, and they use various types of coping mechanisms. This research is relevant to the field of occupational therapy because it can help better tailor the occupational therapy process to address the needs of both Hispanic fathers and their child.

References

Lindsey, E. W. (2018). Cultural Values and Coparenting Quality in Families of Mexican Origin. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 49(10), 1523–1538. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022118803182

Ahmad, M. M., & Dardas, L. A. (2015). The hidden patients: Fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 40(4), 368–375. https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2015.1064879