"Opening up a well of emotions": A qualitative study of men's emotional experiences in the transition to fatherhood.
Beate Solberg, Kari Glavin, Rigmor C Berg and 1 others
PMID 36403217WHAT IT FOUND
Fathers described grief and loss of identity alongside deep love, often feeling excluded by the breastfeeding dyad.
Lack of sleep and suppressed anger caused distress. Solo paternity leave built confidence and equal partnership. These emotions are a normal part of the transition, not just pathology.
Key findings
01Fathers experienced a mix of profound love and grief for their lost identity and freedom, with negative emotions often kept hidden due to shame.
02Lack of sleep and the infant's crying were primary triggers for frustration, irritability and feelings of incompetence, rather than diagnosed mental illness.
03Taking solo paternity leave helped fathers develop confidence, competence and a stronger bond with the child, shifting the couple dynamic towards equality.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted in Norway, where active fatherhood and individual parental leave are socially expected, limiting transferability to other cultures. Participants were relatively homogeneous: all were employed, lived in urban areas, and were married or cohabiting. The sample size is small (13 fathers) and selected from a specific research project, which may bias the findings towards families already engaged with health services.
Declared interests
Funded by The Research Council of Norway, VID Specialized University and the City of Oslo. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the fathers' reported grief, anger or jealousy as signs of clinical depression or anxiety disorders. The study describes these as normal, albeit difficult, emotional reactions to the transition to fatherhood and sleep deprivation, not necessarily pathological symptoms requiring psychiatric diagnosis.