Swedish men's experiences of becoming fathers to their preterm infants.
OBJECTIVE
To describe Swedish men's experiences of becoming fathers to their preterm infants.


METHODS
A cross-sectional descriptive study.


METHODS
Eight men participated in semistructured interviews with open-ended questions. The interviews were analyzed using manifest and latent content analysis.


METHODS
The concepts of control and noncontrol.


RESULTS
The manifest analysis of the interview text produced six categories: concern, stress, helplessness, security, support, and happiness. The latent content interpretation indicated that the concepts of control and noncontrol were relevant to the fathers' experiences. The men's experiences of early fatherhood were influenced by their ability to experience control. When concern, stress, and helplessness dominated the fathers' experiences and coincided with low levels of happiness, support, and security, they experienced noncontrol. Conversely, when they experienced support, security, and happiness, they felt that they were in control and able to handle the situation.
Lundqvist
Pia
P
Level III Nursery, Lund University Hospital, Sweden. pialundqvist@ebox.tninet.se
Jakobsson
Liselotte
L
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005220:Fathers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden