Higher vulnerability among English-speaking fathers in Quebec, according to a recent study

QUEBEC CITY, 9 November 2022 – A study on vulnerability in the context of paternity conducted among 2 119 Quebec fathers, 420 of whom are from English-speaking communities, showed vulnerability rates of particular concern among the latter.
According to the survey by SOM last March, on behalf of the Regroupement pour la Valorisation de la Paternité (RVP) in partnership with the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN), nearly one in five English-speaking fathers (19%) have a high psychological distress index, a measure associated with greater vulnerability. Among French-speaking fathers, this proportion is significantly less at 12%.
Moreover, 11% of English-speaking fathers say they have experienced suicidal ideation in the past year, a proportion almost twice that of Francophone fathers (6%).

More violence in childhood
Among the 85 items of this vast survey aimed at measuring various dimensions associated with distress and precariousness among fathers, childhood violence is what most worries psychology researcher Carl Lacharité, UQTR, who provided the scientific direction of the study.
“Six out of ten English-speaking fathers report having experienced some form of violence in their family environment during childhood or adolescence, and this not only refers to minor physical violence: Four out of ten respondents stated they had been victims of psychological abuse, three out of ten reported major physical violence, and one out of six sexual assaults. For these three forms of violence, the rates are 1.2 to 2.7 times higher among English-speaking fathers in comparison to French-speaking fathers. The differences are very significant,” noted the researcher.
According to Carl Lacharité, these traumatic childhood events (Adverse Childhood Experiences) are recognized by research as one of the experiences with the greatest impact on the propensity to become a victim of violence or to perpetrate it. They also reduce an individual’s chances of living healthy and developing to their full potential.
“These findings raise several questions to better understand the reality of these fathers and to be able to better support them, but in particular, that of the socio-economic context in which they live and, inevitably, that of their proximity to the social or community services that could help them,” added Carl Lacharité.

Adapting services to English-speaking fathers’ needs
According to Jennifer Johnson, Executive Director of CHSSN, this portrait once again contradicts certain stereotypes associated with English-speaking communities, such as that of privilege. In her opinion, the results call for a greater acknowledgement that services must be adapted to their particular needs, especially in regions where isolation is greater.
“Quebec has a public network and a community network of services that, when combined, have the capacity to reach out to these fathers, better integrate their realities into their service offering, and further promote good prevention and intervention practices. It is more than ever important that all service networks work together to break the isolation experienced by these fathers,” she affirmed.

About the CHSSN

The CHSSN’s mission is to support English-speaking communities in Quebec by encouraging equitable access to English-language health and social services and by addressing social determinants of health through relationships, knowledge sharing, empowerment, and training.

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