Development and evaluation of an infant-care training program with first-time fathers.
We evaluated the effectiveness of a multicomponent package in training infant-care skills to first-time fathers. After developing and socially validating a set of infant-care skills, we assessed the effects of training in a hospital-based program with expectant fathers (Experiment 1) and in a home-based program with fathers having varied degrees of experience with their infants (Experiment 2). In both experiments, a multiple probe design demonstrated that the training package was responsible for producing criterion performance by the expectant and first-time fathers. A 1-month generalization probe in Experiment 1 showed that the effects transferred across training conditions (training doll to human infant) and settings (hospital to home). An increase in the number of infant-stimulation activities performed by fathers was also observed in both experiments.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care / Q000379:methods*; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male