1255 - Fatherhood Unveiled - Overcoming Parenting Barriers with Spinal Cord Injury

Objectives: Traditional parenting roles and child rearing activities can be a major challenge for people living with spinal cord injury (SCI). Parenting after SCI has been investigated among mothers with SCI, however, remains poorly studied among fathers with SCI. The aim of this pilot study is to investigate the experience of fathers with SCI and compare their experience with previously published data on the experience of mothers with SCI.

Design:
Previously published survey questions from mothers with SCI on parenting were administered to a convenience sample of fathers with SCI and compared. Additional open-ended questions were administered to this population to obtain qualitative data.

Results:
We report three fathers with varying levels of SCI in this descriptive case series. Responses to open-ended questions suggest fatherhood can “provide added motivation” in achieving rehabilitation goals. Fathers with SCI expressed that “being a father while in a wheelchair isn’t as difficult” as they first thought. While patients offered positive responses to open-ended questions, answers to survey questions confirm that fathers expressed that their SCI impacts certain child rearing activities and household division of labor. Fathers’ impacted areas are different from the areas reported by mothers with SCI. Key differences include fathers reporting that “improved accessible housing” and “funding for adaptive equipment” would increase satisfaction with division of family responsibilities, while mothers with SCI reported “improved school access” and “improved community access”.

Conclusions: The impact of living with SCI on traditional parenting roles and the child rearing experience may be different for mothers and fathers with SCI. Physiatrists should be aware of the challenges commonly faced by fathers with SCI, share resources to alleviate financial and social support challenges, and promote improved access in the community and in homes to benefit all parents with SCI. More research is warranted to validate the pilot study results.