Fathers Matter: Black Fathers' Relationships with their Partners during Pregnancy and Postpartum.
Dawn P Misra, Carmen Giurgescu, Cleopatra Howard Caldwell and 4 others
PMID 37589959WHAT IT FOUND
Most fathers in a study of Black mothers reported close relationships and nearly daily contact, but satisfaction varied.
Nurses should ask about father participation and involve fathers during prenatal visits.
Key findings
01Most fathers reported being in contact with the mother nearly every day and described their relationship as close or very close before and during pregnancy.
02Fathers' satisfaction with the relationship, pregnancy involvement, and financial support varied; reported relationship support was high and conflict was about half the scale maximum.
03Most fathers reported providing equal or more support, advice, and help than the mother, and more than half attended prenatal visits all the time.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Fathers were identified through mothers' contact information, so results do not apply to fathers who have no contact with the mother. Families in which fathers could be enrolled may differ from families in which fathers could not be reached. Data were collected at metropolitan prenatal clinics in the Midwestern United States, so they may not apply to rural or other geographic settings. The study did not test whether fathers' relationships or prenatal visit attendance were associated with birth outcomes. Analyses were based on 111 of 116 consented fathers after missing responses and one eligibility issue. Race and ethnicity were not initially collected, so the missing percent was high. The study did not collect whether fathers were biological fathers.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these close relationship reports as evidence that involving fathers improves birth outcomes. The study reported fathers' prenatal questionnaire answers and did not test associations with birth outcomes.