The First-Time Fathers’ Experiences in Early Fatherhood: A Descriptive Qualitative Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/ijcs.v7i2.362Keywords:
First-time fathers, Experience, Paternity, ChallengesAbstract
Background: Becoming a father is a stressful transition period for men, presenting numerous challenges from caring for their newborns to navigating changes in family dynamics. Recently, cultural expectations have shifted, transforming the role of the father from primarily being a breadwinner to being more actively involved in parenting. There is growing evidence that first-time fathers encounter various obstacles and have unmet needs during the parenting period. Thus, before encouraging fathers in society to take on more active parental roles, it is crucial to gain a comprehensive understanding of their support needs, experiences, and challenges. This study aimed to explore the experiences of the first-time fathers in the early parenthood.
Methods: A semi-structured interview was conducted with ten participants residing in the community of Kuantan, Pahang. The data was analyzed using a content analysis approach to emerge the themes. Results: Four themes and 18 sub themes emerged from this study, elucidating the experiences of first-time fathers in parenthood. These themes are: Adaptation and changes, Paternal involvement, Challenges and coping mechanisms, and Support and needs of first-time fathers. This study reveals that entering parenthood as a first-time father can be highly challenging. Despite a clear lack of preparation for their roles, the participants demonstrated good coping mechanisms and generally regarded the experience positively.
Conclusion: The findings highlight the necessity for targeted support systems and resources tailored to first-time fathers to help them navigate the transition into parenthood more smoothly. It is recommended that healthcare providers, policymakers, and community organizations develop programs and interventions that address the specific needs of new fathers, including education on newborn care, emotional support, and strategies for balancing work and family responsibilities. By doing so, society can better support first-time fathers in their evolving roles, ultimately benefiting the entire family unit.
References
Hodgson S, Painter J, Kilby L, Hirst J, editors. The experiences of first-time fathers in perinatal services: Present but invisible. Healthcare; 2021: 9(2), 161; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9020161
Shorey S, Ang L, Goh ECL & Lopez V. Paternal involvement of Singaporean fathers within six months postpartum: A follow-up qualitative study. Midwifery. 2019; 70, 7–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2018.12.003
Snarey J & Hanford R. The Transition to Fatherhood. Contemporary Psychology. A Journal of Reviews. 2016; 42(3), 251–252. https://doi.org/10.1037/000536
Franzen, J., Cornet, I., Vendittelli, F., & Guittier, M. (2021). First-time fathers’ experience of childbirth: A cross-sectional study. Midwifery, 103, 103153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2021.103153
Ngai W & Lam W. The experience of first-time Hong Kong Chinese fatherhood: A qualitative exploratory study. Nursing & Health Sciences, 2020: 22(3), 723-731. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12719
Lewington L, Lee J & Sebar B. “I’m not Just a Babysitter”: Masculinity and Men’s Experiences of First-Time Fatherhood. Men and Masculinities. 2021: https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X21993884
Zhang Y, Razza R. Father involvement, couple relationship quality, and maternal postpartum depression: the role of ethnicity among low-income families. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 2022;26(7):1424-1433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-022-03407-4
Jamaludin TSS, Nurumal MS, Ahmad N, Muhammad SAN, Chan CM. Soft skills elements in structured clinical skill assessment: a qualitative study. Bali Medical Journal. 2022;11(3):1666-74. https://doi.org/10.15562/bmj.v11i3.3721
Johnson JL, Adkins D, Chauvin S. A Review of the Quality Indicators of Rigor in Qualitative Research. Am J Pharm Educ. 2020;84(1):7120. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7120
Eskandari N, Simbar M, Vedadhir AA & Baghestani AR. Paternal adaptation in first-time fathers: a phenomenological study. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology. 2017; 35(1), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838
Cabrera NJ. Father involvement, father-child relationship, and attachment in the early years. Attachment & human development. 2020;22(1):134-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2019.1589070
Ganapathy T. Exploration of first-time fathers? experiences during the child?s first year. Muller Journal of Medical Sciences and Research. 2016; 7(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.4103/0975-9727.174608
Darwin Z, Galdas P, Hinchliff S, Littlewood E, McMillan D, McGowan L & Gilbody S. Fathers’ views and experiences of their own mental health during pregnancy and the first postnatal year: A qualitative interview study of men participating in the UK Born and Bred in Yorkshire (BaBY) cohort. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2017; 17(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-017-1229-4
Kowlessar O, Fox JR & Wittkowski A. First-time fathers’ experiences of parenting during the first year. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology. 2015; 33(1), 4–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2014.971404
Baldwin S & Bick D. Mental health of first time fathers - it’s time to put evidence into practice. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports. 2018; 16(11), 2064–2065. https://doi.org/10.11124/JBISRIR-2017-003983
Da Costa D, Danieli C, Abrahamowicz M, Dasgupta K, Sewitch M, Lowensteyn I & Zelkowitz P. A prospective study of postnatal depressive symptoms and associated risk factors in first-time fathers. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2019; 371–377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.02.033
Schobinger E, Vanetti M, Ramelet A-S, Horsch A. First-time parents’ perception of midwives’ and other healthcare professionals’ support behaviours: A qualitative study. Midwifery. 2024:104028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2024.104028
Brunstad A, Aasekjær K, Aune I, Nilsen AB. Fathers’ experiences during the first postnatal week at home after early discharge of mother and baby from the maternity unit: A meta-synthesis. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. 2020 Jun;48(4):362-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2021.100672
Lowensteyn I, Cruz R, Khalifé S. Dads Get Sad Too: Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Expectant First-Time Fathers. American Journal of Men’s Health. 2017; 11(5), 1376–1384. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988315606963
Serçeku? P, Vardar O, Türkçü SG, Özkan S. Why are first time expectant fathers afraid of birth? A qualitative study. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. 2020 Nov 1;254:231-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2020.09.032
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CARE SCHOLARS
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
