title: Fatigue and work safety behavior in men during early fatherhood.
abstract: This study investigated the relationship between fatigue and work safety behavior of fathers with new babies. A total of 241 fathers completed a questionnaire at 6 and 12 weeks postpartum with items on fatigue and safety behavior at work. Results revealed that fathers worked long hours, reported a moderate-to-high physical intensity of work, and experienced interrupted sleep averaging less than 6 hours. Fathers also reported moderate fatigue at both 6 and 12 weeks postbirth, which was inversely related to safety behavior. Both fatigue and sleep history made a small but statistically significant contribution to safety behavior results at 6 and 12 weeks postbirth. Findings suggest that working fathers with babies experience fatigue during early fatherhood and are unable to recover due to interrupted and poor sleep patterns. Managers should consider the potential for fatigue to compromise work safety and develop risk management strategies that target new fathers.
authors.affiliation: Southern Cross University, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia. gary.mellor@scu.edu.au
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mellor
authors.forename: Winsome
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: St John
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015984:Causality; D015897:Comorbidity; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005220:Fathers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D016272:Occupational Health; D010332:Paternal Behavior; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D055815:Young Adult