First-time parents' experiences related to parental self-efficacy: A scoping review.
Kristin M Saether, Rigmor C Berg, Bettina Holmberg Fagerlund and 2 others
PMID 36564911WHAT IT FOUND
First-time parents' confidence in parenting was shaped by breastfeeding struggles, unmet expectations, and whether professionals offered realistic, non-judgmental support.
Fathers felt excluded by hospital environments and lacked hands-on practice with real babies.
Key findings
01Breastfeeding was the central task influencing parental self-efficacy, with all task-specific studies and most domain-specific studies addressing it.
02Parents needed professionals to provide realistic prenatal information, continuity of care, and non-judgmental reassurance, as conflicting advice and deficit-focused care undermined their confidence.
03Fathers reported feeling excluded by healthcare environments and preferred hands-on practice with real babies over formal teaching with dummies.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review did not assess the methodological quality of the included studies, which is standard for scoping reviews but means the strength of the evidence for each theme is unknown. Fathers comprised only 11% of the participants in the included studies, so the findings about men's experiences are less robust than those about mothers. No studies included same-sex parents, limiting the transferability of findings to diverse family structures. The analysis provides an overview of the field but lacks depth on nuances within the identified themes.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat the identified themes as evidence that specific interventions work. This review maps what parents said influenced their confidence, but it does not test whether changing nursing practice improves parental self-efficacy outcomes.