"Fathers Are Not Mothers" Nurses' Experiences of Practicing With Fathers When Providing Care to Their Children: A Qualitative Systematic Review.
Francine de Montigny, Caroline René, Isabelle Landry and 9 others
PMID 41237293WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses often view fathers as passive observers and communicate more easily with mothers.
This bias leads them to give fathers less space in care. Nurses report needing specific training and tools to engage fathers effectively, as current resources are designed for mothers.
Key findings
01Some nurses perceive fathers as passive players who are not very involved in care, which influences how much attention they receive.
02Nurses find communicating with mothers easier and more natural, often getting to know fathers only through the mother's account.
03Nurses report having little specific training for working with fathers and note that existing tools are primarily developed for mothers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Some themes were based on a single study, limiting the breadth of evidence for those specific points. The majority of nurses studied were women, so the findings may not reflect the perspectives or experiences of male nurses. The review included studies from eight countries, but the cultural contexts of these countries may not represent all global nursing practices.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The work was funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec—Société et culture.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the finding that nurses view fathers as passive as evidence that fathers are actually uninvolved. The study reports nurses' perceptions and experiences, which may be influenced by their own biases and the lack of training in engaging men.