Breastfeeding and Father Support: Bibliometric Analysis.
Elif Erdoğan, Serap Ejder Apay
PMID 42130058WHAT IT FOUND
Research on father support in breastfeeding has grown significantly, with 516 publications since 1989, but this bibliometric analysis maps citation trends and topics, not clinical outcomes.
It cannot tell you if involving fathers improves breastfeeding rates.
Key findings
01The study analyzed 516 documents published between 1989 and 2025, showing a 10.2% annual growth rate in this research field.
02The United States was the most significant contributor with 118 articles, followed by Australia with 50 articles.
03The method explicitly does not evaluate the methodological quality, sample sizes, or causality of the included studies, so it cannot determine the effectiveness of paternal support.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study does not assess the quality or bias of the included papers, so it cannot confirm if father support actually improves breastfeeding outcomes. It only used the Web of Science database, potentially missing relevant studies from other databases or non-English publications. Citation counts are influenced by factors like publication age and journal visibility, not just clinical importance. The analysis relies on author keywords, which may vary in meaning and specificity over time.
Declared interests
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high number of publications or citations as proof that father support interventions work. This study maps academic trends and explicitly states it does not evaluate clinical effectiveness or causality.