title: Strengthening new fathers' skills in interaction with their 5-month-old infants: who benefits from a brief intervention?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the utility of a parenting education program for fathers of infants, and to determine which fathers benefited.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fathers' perceptions of the program's utility were captured in a brief, structured interview. Using secondary data analysis, pretest/posttest father-infant interaction scores of fathers who improved were compared with those of fathers who did not. Demographic predictors of improvement were identified using multiple regression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community sample of 81 adult, English-speaking, primarily European Canadian, first-time fathers of 5-month-old infants, who participated in the intervention group of a randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  When infants were 5 and 6 months old, videotaped self-modeling and positive feedback about father-infant interaction were provided by specially trained nurses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Father-infant interaction was assessed at baseline (5 months) and outcome (8 months) using the Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fathers found the program useful, indicating that their needs for educational programs are different from mothers. Controlling for baseline interactions, demographic variables did not significantly predict fathers' outcome interactions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The program may prove useful in public health settings where implementing programs for fathers of infants is a priority. Future research needs to explore other predictors to identify fathers who will benefit from the program.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. benzies@ucalgary.ca
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Benzies
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Magill-Evans
authors.forename: Margaret J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: MacPhail
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kimak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000416:Alberta; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005220:Fathers / Q000193:education*; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior; D008297:Male; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010332:Paternal Behavior; D011637:Public Health Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019037:Urban Health Services; D014743:Videotape Recording; D055815:Young Adult