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The perils of overprotective parenting: fathers' perspectives explored

The perils of overprotective parenting: fathers' perspectives explored Background The dominant discourse of popular media appears to paint a disparaging picture of parents deemed overly concerned about their children's safety. Child injury prevention interventions frequently focus on influencing parenting behaviours. Fathers are increasingly involved in childcare, highlighting the need to understand their perspectives on overprotective parenting as it relates to considerations of injury prevention while actively engaged with their children. Methods Qualitative interviews were carried out with 32 fathers of children aged 2–7 years in a Canadian urban setting. Interview questions investigated fathers' injury prevention attitudes and practices, and their beliefs regarding overprotection. Data analysis was guided by grounded theory methods. Results Fathers noted the subjective nature of overprotection, citing family, social and situational factors that shaped their views. Fathers viewed overprotective parents as experiencing excessive fears that were manifested in lack of willingness to risk physical or psychological injury. They described overprotective parenting as including over‐involvement in and excessive restriction of children's activities; and expressed concerns that the results of these behaviours would be children lacking self‐confidence and crucial life skills. Conclusion Fathers viewed as problematic overprotective parenting behaviours that limit access to opportunities for physical risk taking in an attempt to prevent mostly minor injuries. The injury prevention field may benefit from considering fathers' perspectives when designing programmes to minimize the likelihood that safety initiatives may be perceived as promoting overprotection of children. Framing safety messages in ways that align with fathers' views could involve promoting appropriate protection and encouraging an active lifestyle. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Child: Care, Health and Development Wiley

The perils of overprotective parenting: fathers' perspectives explored

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References (22)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
ISSN
0305-1862
eISSN
1365-2214
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01361.x
pmid
22329576
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Background The dominant discourse of popular media appears to paint a disparaging picture of parents deemed overly concerned about their children's safety. Child injury prevention interventions frequently focus on influencing parenting behaviours. Fathers are increasingly involved in childcare, highlighting the need to understand their perspectives on overprotective parenting as it relates to considerations of injury prevention while actively engaged with their children. Methods Qualitative interviews were carried out with 32 fathers of children aged 2–7 years in a Canadian urban setting. Interview questions investigated fathers' injury prevention attitudes and practices, and their beliefs regarding overprotection. Data analysis was guided by grounded theory methods. Results Fathers noted the subjective nature of overprotection, citing family, social and situational factors that shaped their views. Fathers viewed overprotective parents as experiencing excessive fears that were manifested in lack of willingness to risk physical or psychological injury. They described overprotective parenting as including over‐involvement in and excessive restriction of children's activities; and expressed concerns that the results of these behaviours would be children lacking self‐confidence and crucial life skills. Conclusion Fathers viewed as problematic overprotective parenting behaviours that limit access to opportunities for physical risk taking in an attempt to prevent mostly minor injuries. The injury prevention field may benefit from considering fathers' perspectives when designing programmes to minimize the likelihood that safety initiatives may be perceived as promoting overprotection of children. Framing safety messages in ways that align with fathers' views could involve promoting appropriate protection and encouraging an active lifestyle.

Journal

Child: Care, Health and Development – Wiley

Published: Mar 1, 2013

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