title: Fatherhood in a New Country: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Experiences of Afghan Men and Implications for Health Services.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fathers of refugee background are dealing with multiple, interrelated stressors associated with forced migration and establishing their lives in a new country. This has implications for the role of men in promoting the health and well-being of their families.
  
  
  METHODS
  Afghan community researchers conducted interviews with 30 Afghan women and men who had recently had a baby in Australia. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with health professionals working with families of refugee background.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen men, 16 women, and 34 health professionals participated. Afghan men reported playing a major role in supporting their wives during pregnancy and postnatal care, accompanying their wives to appointments, and providing language and transport support. Although men embraced these roles, they were rarely asked by health professionals about their own concerns related to their wife's pregnancy, or about their social circumstances. Perinatal health professionals queried whether it was their role to meet the needs of men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are many challenges for families of refugee background navigating maternity services while dealing with the challenges of settlement. There is a need to move beyond a narrow conceptualization of antenatal and postnatal care to encompass a broader preventive and primary care approach to supporting refugee families through the period of pregnancy and early years of parenting. Pregnancy and postnatal care needs to be tailored to the social and psychological needs of families of refugee background, including men, and incorporate appropriate language support, in order to improve child and family health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.|General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Elisha
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riggs
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.|General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yelland
authors.affiliation: Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture, Brunswick, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szwarc
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Sayed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wahidi
authors.affiliation: Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture, Brunswick, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.affiliation: Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture, Brunswick, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chesters
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Fatema
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fouladi
authors.affiliation: Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture, Brunswick, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Philippa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Duell-Piening
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Giallo
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.|General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.|School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000346:Afghanistan / Q000208:ethnology; D001315:Australia; D002662:Child Health Services; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006282:Health Personnel; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008427:Maternal Health Services; D016487:Parenting; D011181:Postnatal Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012036:Refugees; D012380:Role
keywords: father's health; maternity services; qualitative methods; refugee background