There has been a steady increase in recent years in the number of fathers contacting a helpline for parents under stress.
Some 14 per cent of calls to Parentline in 2002 came from men, compared to just one call from a man to Parentline in its first year of operation in the 1980s.
Ms Rita O'Reilly, Parentline manager, said there was also a dramatic change in the nature of these calls. Fathers were taking more ownership of family problems and wanted to know to improve their relationship with their children.
"Previously, callers might have said: 'My wife is having problems with our daughter. How can I help her with her parenting role?' Now they are saying: 'We are having problems with our daughter.'"
Some 37 per cent of calls come from parents of teenagers and concern behavioural problems, addiction worries, stress and medical issues. Parentline was originally set up to offer support to parents who were concerned about how they were behaving towards their children but an increasing number of calls are from parents concerned about their children's bad behaviour towards them.
Parentline volunteers have noticed aincrease in calls from parents of adult children. Older parents are facing problems that they could never have anticipated, according to Ms O'Reilly.
The helpline receives about 4,000 calls a year. People in couples accounted for the vast majority of callers.
Parentline can be contacted on lo-call 1890 927 277.
