Forever changed: women's lived experiences of growing up with an incarcerated Father

Abstract

This study explored the lived experiences of women who grew up with an incarcerated father. Thirteen women were interviewed using open-ended, semi-structured questions. The research design was based on Martin Heidegger's original philosophical construct of Hermeneutic Phenomenology and was guided by Max van Manen's six-step methodical structure approach to obtain meaning making from the participants regarding their lived experience (van Manen, 1997, 2014). Feminist framework is also incorporated to recognize the uniqueness of the female experience, which has often been neglected in research related to fathering. Findings reflected the thoughts, feelings and perceptions of participants in relation to how incarceration influenced their relationship with their father as well as how this phenomenon affected other dimensions of their life and their interpersonal relationships. The findings resulted in three overarching domains for paternal incarceration: 1) daughter's perception of parental response, 2) effect on daughter's personal well-being, and 3) influence on daughter's interpersonal relationships. Future implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.