title: Changes in father-infant bonding beliefs across couples' first transition to parenthood.
abstract: Thirty-five couples expecting their first child served as subjects in a study of changes in beliefs concerning father-infant bonding experienced by individuals and couples across the transition to parenthood. Through a series of open-ended interviews and structured questionnaire measures, it was determined that the typical first-time father and mother undergo significant drops in their beliefs about the importance of father-infant bonding across their first transition to parenthood. Regression analyses were employed to construct models predictive of changes in parents' father-infant bonding beliefs. Results indicate that both prenatal beliefs and circumstances of the delivery predict changes in parents' father-infant bonding beliefs. Implications for childbirth educators, delivery staff, and parent support providers are discussed.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Palkovitz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000592:standards; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009769:Object Attachment; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013997:Time Factors