Beschreibung:
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<jats:list-item><jats:p>Ten fathers were asked to tell their story of being told that their child was diagnosed with an intellectual disability.</jats:p></jats:list-item>
<jats:list-item><jats:p>They said that initially they were shocked, disappointed, in denial and blamed themselves when the diagnosis was certain.</jats:p></jats:list-item>
<jats:list-item><jats:p>All fathers remembered when they were told and by whom they were told about their child’s diagnosis.</jats:p></jats:list-item>
<jats:list-item><jats:p>Becoming a father was a reason to be happy.</jats:p></jats:list-item>
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</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p>In recent years, there has been a growth of research on men’s experiences of becoming fathers, most of which relates to a typically developing child without intellectual disabilities. While some studies have specifically explored the experiences of becoming a father of a child with an intellectual disability, there are few studies from an Irish context.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim</jats:title><jats:p>The aim of this study was to present Irish fathers’ narratives within the context of leading up to the diagnosis and the actual diagnosis of a child’s intellectual disability.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Method</jats:title><jats:p>A qualitative narrative inquiry design was used with ten fathers aged 31–48 years through semi‐structured interviews.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>This study is part of a larger study focusing on becoming a father of a child with an intellectual disability in Ireland. The findings related to finding out “something was wrong” with the child are presented.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title><jats:p>Fathers are emotionally affected by the diagnosis of a child’s intellectual disability. Therefore, healthcare professionals need to be cognisant of the emotional upheaval that such a diagnosis can have on fathers and be sensitive to their needs in supporting them through this process.</jats:p></jats:sec></jats:sec>