Exploring the Occupational Identity of Fathers with Addiction: A Qualitative Study

Most research describing parents with addiction focuses on mothers, and little is known about fathers. Emerging research suggests constructing a positive occupational identity can help a person sustain recovery. Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to explore 10 fathers’ occupational identity from their initial substance use through addiction to recovery. Two themes emerged: 1) I was young, but it wasn’t a problem until later, and 2) Being an addict is a part of who I am. The findings highlight how participants’ occupational identity fluctuated throughout these temporal stages and suggested strategies for occupational therapy practitioners when working with this population were reviewed.