title: Supporting fathers in the transition to parenthood.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Ellen Barron Family Centre, Royal Children's Hospital Health Service District, Brisbane QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Halle
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dowd
authors.forename: Cathrine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rissel
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hennessy
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: MacNevin
authors.forename: Marie Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: 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