The Participation of Fathers in Their Children's Hospitalization

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Abstract
In this paper the authors describe the amount and nature of fathers' involvement in their children's short-term hospitalization. Fathers (N = 62) of children hospitalized for relatively usual, non-life-threatening reasons were investigated. Data were collected through participant observation and intensive interviews conducted during the child's hospitalization and 4 to 6 weeks after discharge. Half of the fathers rearranged their usual routine to spend time with their child, with most spending a minimum of 2 to 4 hours a day at the hospital. While 76 percent of the fathers reported that the hospitalization did not alter how they carried out their role, a minority (24 percent) indicated that the hospitalization engendered an expansion of their usual role. Men who maintained their usual role emphasized their responsibility to comfort the child and provide routine care; those who expanded their usual role emphasized their responsibility to monitor the child's care and participate in interactions with professional staff. Fathers were more likely to alter their usual routine than their usual role, and all but three men indicated that their involvement was at a preferred level.

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