Among the most influential relationships that a person experiences while growing up is the relationship with a father.

“The experience of being fathered influences everything from how we feel about ourselves to how we raise our own children,” says Sean Brotherson, North Dakota State University family science specialist. “In particular, the way in which we connect with a father and feel close to or were cared for by him has a strong impact on our lives and well-being. An interesting question is how adults remember their experiences being fathered while growing up and the things that were most meaningful to them in that relationship.”

Brotherson is exploring that question in a study focused on adult children who are willing to share their experiences of being fathered and how it has influenced them.

“We are particularly interested in learning from adult children about what was meaningful to them in the father-child relationship and how it also has influenced their own parenting efforts,” Brotherson says.

Bethany Reuter, a NDSU master’s degree candidate, is joining Brotherson in conducting the qualitative study.

“We need to learn from individuals who feel they had solid, connected relationships with their father and how that experience has shaped their lives,” Brotherson says.

Brotherson is seeking people who would be willing to be interviewed as part of the study. He is looking for adult men and women between the ages of 30 and 60. Also, the study seeks participants who have at least one child beyond the age of 3, are married to the other parent of that child, and were raised in a family with both mother and father present until at least age 18.

Interested individuals can receive more information or enroll in the study by contacting Reuter at (701) 680-2210 or e-mail bethany.reuter@ndsu.edu.

NDSU Agriculture Communication