Separated fathers who face barriers to actively parenting their children report distress and feel that social structures do not adequately safeguard their role as parents, according to a new study.

Claire Casha, who lectures in the Department of Family Studies at the University of Malta, interviewed 31 fathers who are divorced or legally separated in Malta. They spoke of their experiences in navigating the challenges of parenting post the dissolution of their relationship with the mothers of their children.

The research, sponsored by Endeavour Scholarship Group B and the University of Malta, was presented during a conference organised by the Maltese Association of Psychiatry last month. It was carried out as part of an ongoing wider research project Casha is working on.

“Although I did not specifically ask about their mental health, fathers brought it up organically and those who did experience distress said it ranged on a continuum,” she told Times of Malta.

Of the 31 men she spoke to, 19 were dissatisfied with parenting arrangements after their separation proceedings, with some experiencing personal difficulties ranging from the symptoms of anxiety and depression to suicide attempts and hospitalisation.

According to Casha, these men reported three main factors that contributed to the distress they felt: romantic loss, financial strain and barriers to active parenting.

“There was a period when I was literally in a state of depression because you don’t get by,” Eric*, who has three children and had to live with family members after his relationship ended, said.

“You cannot rent, my salary is not very high, deduct maintenance from €1,500 and half the (matrimonial home) loan, tax and stamp duty, you can imagine what you have left.”

Christian* felt that limited access was robbing him of having a fulfilling relationship with his child and wants to go beyond providing for his son’s basic needs.

“Money cannot buy care or love and I do not feel I am taking care of him as I should,” he said.

While the minority of fathers said they were happy with access arrangements, the majority felt dissatisfied with their co-parenting relationship and experienced maternal gatekeeping.

In the case of those fathers who were happy with arrangements, access was very flexible and they generally co-parented well to make decisions in their children’s best interests.

Fathers dissatisfied with the level of access to their children also felt that social structures did not take their concerns seriously.

“I had written evidence from the school and the psychologist why my son should be living with me,” Terence* said.

“The headteacher wrote a report about how he was going to school without homework, in dirty clothes, with no food. Still, the court ignored these and let him live with his mother.”

While not a wholly negative picture, Casha reports that the prevalent view of her interviewees was that they felt discriminated against when it came to deciding parenting arrangements.

“In terms of care, most reported they felt there was a bias, either in favour of mothers or against fathers,” she said.

“Overall, they express that they want to see more parenting egalitarianism, more equal and shared parenting and more respect towards the father’s role in the child’s life.”

Financial strain was an issue weighing on fathers doing their best to honour commitments to their children.

“None of the people I interviewed were unemployed or making minimum wage. Even professionals with decent salaries struggled to cope and had to borrow money just to get by.”

*names have been changed to preserve the anonymity of the participants