Directions of Fathering Research in the Last Ten Years among Fathers of Children with ASD; a Literature Review

Research that specifically examines the parenting of fathers with ASD children has begun to show an increasing trend, although it is still relatively limited. This study is a literature review that aims to assess the direction of fathering research on fathers with ASD children in the last 10 years (2014-2023). Two databases, Scopus and Springerlink, were used to search for literature with the keywords "Father" and "Autism". A total of 1128 articles were found in the data search and 28 articles met the criteria for review. The results of the review showed that fathering research with ASD children used several terminologies, including fathering, father experience, father involvement, father engagement, fathering style, nurturing fathering, paternal role, father orientation, and father communication. Meanwhile, the methodology used was dominated by qualitative research at 57% (16 titles) and quantitative research at 32% (9 titles). Mixed method research was found in 0.07% (2 titles) and survey in 0.035% (1 title). The review also shows that the majority of studies are still conducted in western cultures (America, Europe, and Australia). The rest are from Asia 4 studies and finally Africa only one study. Fathering research on fathers of children with ASD still needs to be increased in various cultural settings, to get a more global and comprehensive picture of parenting.