Supporting fathers in the transition to parenthood.
Knowledge of the experience of parenthood is usually from a woman's perspective. The resulting outcome is that knowledge about the experience of fatherhood has been limited. Fathers are starting to change this situation by sharing their experience as is evidenced by the overall response of 267 fathers to this study. This paper focuses on the exploration of 22 men's feelings and beliefs about fatherhood; and their expectations and views about parenting. The paper will also investigate how fathers' antenatal expectations matched the reality of early family life including emotional well-being, attitudes to parenting, adjustment to family life and sources of support. The quantitative and qualitative data of the 22 fathers who responded to both the antenatal and postnatal questionnaires used within this paper are drawn from a larger Queensland survey of women and men during the antenatal and postnatal period.
Halle
Claire
C
Ellen Barron Family Centre, Royal Children's Hospital Health Service District, Brisbane QLD, Australia.
Dowd
Toni
T
Fowler
Cathrine
C
Rissel
Karin
K
Hennessy
Kathy
K
MacNevin
Regina
R
Nelson
Marie Ann
MA
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005220:Fathers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care / Q000523:psychology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010332:Paternal Behavior; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000523:psychology; D011295:Prenatal Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011793:Queensland; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult