“All About How You Couch It:” African American Fathers’ Visions of Interventions for their Sons

The current study seeks to contribute the growing yet limited literature informing intervention development tailored for African American fathers of sons who are at-risk youth depressive symptoms and aggressive behaviors. We conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews with 30 self-identified, American, biological pre-adolescent (8–12 years old) sons. Informed by grounded theory analysis methods, 13 themes emerged from data. organized around five broad categories: Challenges Participation, Intervention Content, Structure, Benefits, Promoting Intervention. In their own voices, highlight awareness uniquely racialized context in which they parent grow up. These findings provide normalize fathers’ racial gender socialization practices against a backdrop that often pathologizes Black men, fathers, boys. have direct implications father-focused interventions: They importance creating safe spaces interact each other sons, as well need incorporate – or center– kinesthetic activities.