Anxiety in Fathers and Father-Infant Attachment

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to examine the factors associated with anxiety and father-infant attachment in prospective fathers and to determine the relationship between them. Methods: The population of the descriptive and correlational study consisted of prospective fathers aged 18 years and older in Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital. A total of 106 prospective fathers who met the inclusion criteria were included in the sample. The data were collected face-to-face by distributing the forms to the prospective fathers using the personal information form, prenatal paternal attachment scale and trait anxiety scale. Results: The level of prenatal paternal attachment is affected by the factors of educational status, economic status, feeling ready for fatherhood, planned pregnancy, the emotion felt when learning that he became a father, harmony with the spouse, the father's accompaniment to the controls, and the negative effect of the change in physical appearance during pregnancy (p<.05). A significant and positive relationship was found between the scores obtained from the time spent on attachment sub-dimension and the scores obtained from the attachment quality sub-dimension of the Prenatal Father Attachment Scale (PFAS) (r=0.546 p<.05). There is also a significant and positive relationship (r=0.26 p<.05) between the scores obtained from the State- Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scale and the scores obtained from the sub-dimension of time spent on attachment in the PFAS. Conclusion: Prenatal attachment process of expectant fathers may vary according to demographic characteristics. Having a desired pregnancy and feeling ready for fatherhood positively affect attachment. The level of anxiety perceived by expectant fathers increases the time spent on attachment.

Keywords

• Father
• anxiety
• attachment
• infant
• pregnant

References

1. Başdaş, Ö. (2022). Anne bebek bağlanmasını etkileyen faktörler. YOBU Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi, 3(2), 130-313.
2. Beesley, A., Karwatzki, E., & Sullivan, K. (2019). Anxiety and depression symptoms in fathers during their partner's pregnancy: how does this impact paternal fetal attachment? Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 33(3), 221-240.
3. Benli, T. E., & Aksoy Derya, Y. (2021). Turkish validity and reliability study of Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 57(1), 295–303. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12563
4. Brandão, T., Brites, R., Pires, M., Hipólito, J., & Nunes, O. (2019). Anxiety, depression, dyadic adjustment, and attachment to the fetus in pregnancy: Actor-partner interdependence mediation analysis. Journal of The Family Psychology, 33(3), 294–303. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam000051
5. Chambers, J. (2017). The neurobiology of attachment: from infancy to clinical outcomes. Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 45(4), 542-563.
6. Condon J. T. (1993) The assessment of antenatal emotional attachment: development of a questionnaire instrument. The British Journal of Medical Psychology, 66 (2), 167–183. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8341.1993.tb01739.x
7. Çağan, E.S., Saydam, B.K., Ateş, S.G., Ekti, R. & Turfan, E.Ç. (2021). Baba-bebek bağlanmasını etkileyen faktörlerin belirlenmesi. Gevher Nesıbe Journal of Medıcal and Health Scıences, 6(14), 1-7.
8. Dagla, C., Antoniou, E., Sarantaki, A., Iliadou, M., Mrvoljak-Theodoropoulou, I., Andersson, E., & Dagla, M. (2023). The effect of antenatal education on expectant fathers' attitudes toward breastfeeding and attachment to the fetus. Nursing Reports (Pavia, Italy), 13(1), 243–254. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep13010023.

9. Dağlar, G., Pınar, Ş. E., & Özbek, H. (2022). Yenidoğan yoğun bakım servisinde bebeği yatan babaların bağlanma durumlarının ebeveyn rolüne ilişkin kendilik algısıyla ilişkisi. Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi, 7(1), 17-23.
10. Davenport, C., Lambie, J., Owen, C., & Swami, V. (2022). Fathers' experience of depression during the perinatal period: a qualitative systematic review. JBI Evidence Synthesis, 20(9), 2244–2302. https://doi.org/10.11124/JBIES-21-00365
11. Demirçin, Z., Metin, E., Uysal, İ., Taşdelen, B., Sarıosmanoğlu, A. & Cabi, E. (2019). Baba bebek bağlanması arasındaki ilişkinin bazı değişkenler üzerindeki etkisinin incelenmesi. 14. Ulusal Okul Öncesi Öğretmenliği Öğrenci Kongresi: Çocuğun Ekolojik Dünyası Özet Kitapçığı, Maltepe Üniversitesi.
12. Döner, Ş. İ., Baş, Z. T., Duran, B., Mevhibe, E.R., & Karakoç, H. (2021). Türkiye’de babalık rol kazanımı: babaların tutum ve davranışları. Güncel Hemşirelik Araştırmaları Dergisi, 1(2), 59-67.
13. Hall, R. A., De Waard, I. E., Tooten, A., Hoffenkamp, H. N., Vingerhoets, A. J., & Van Bakel, H. J. (2014). From the father's point of view: how father's representations of the infant impact on father-infant interaction and infant development. Early Human Development, 90(12), 877–883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2014.09.010
14. Işık, S. & Cetişli, N.E. (2020). Paternal depresyon ve baba-bebek bağlanması arasındaki ilişki. Cukurova Medical Journal, 45(4), 1663-1671.
15. Kartal, Y.A., & Eri̇şen, B. (2020). 6-12 aylık bebeği olan babaların bebeklerine bağlanma durumu ve ilişkili faktörler. Mehmet Akif Ersoy Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi, 8(2), 44-49.
16. Kılavuz, M., Genç, R. Uzun, Ö., Çakıcı, K., Yücel, R., Bilgin, İ., & Çetin, E. (2022). Couvade sendromu semptomlarının görülme sıklığı. KTO Karatay Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 3(2), 42-51.
17. Köse, D., Çınar, N., & Altınkaynak, S. (2013). Yenidoğanın anne ve baba ile bağlanma süreci. Sted, 22(6), 239-245.
18. Leiferman, J. A., Farewell, C. V., Jewell, J., Lacy, R., Walls, J., Harnke, B., & Paulson, J. F. (2021). Anxiety among fathers during the prenatal and postpartum period: a meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 42(2), 152-161.
19. Luz, R., George, A., Vieux, R., & Spitz, E. (2017). Antenatal determinants of parental attachment and parenting alliance: How do mothers and fathers differ? Infant Mental Health Journal, 38(2), 183-197.
20. Mazzeschi, C., Pazzagli, C., Radi, G., Raspa, V., & Buratta, L. (2015). Antecedents of maternal parenting stress: the role of attachment style, prenatal attachment, and dyadic adjustment in first-time mothers. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1443.
21. Mutlu, C., Yorbik, Ö., Tanju, I. A., Çelikel, F., & Sezer, R. G. (2015). Doğum öncesi, doğum sırası ve doğum sonrası etkenlerin annenin bağlanması ile ilişkisi. Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry/Anadolu Psikiyatri Dergisi, 16(6).
22. Nacar, E. & Gökkaya, F. (2019). Bağlanma ve maternal bağlanma konusunda bir derleme. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 1(1).
23. Öner, N. & Le Compte, A. (1983). Durumluk ve sürekli kaygı envanteri el kitabı. Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Yayınları. Philpott, L. F., Leahy-Warren, P., FitzGerald, S., & Savage, E. (2017). Stress in fathers in the perinatal period: A systematic review. Midwifery, 55, 113–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2017.09.016
24. Rempel, L. A., Rempel, J. K., Khuc, T. N., & Vui, L. T. (2017). Influence of father–infant relationship on infant development: A father-involvement intervention in Vietnam. Developmental Psychology, 53(10), 1844.
25. Setodeh, S., Pourahmad, S., & Akbarzadeh, M. (2017). A study of the efficacy of fathers’ attachment training on paternal-fetal attachment and parental anxiety. Family Medicine & Primary Care Review, (4), 393-398.
26. Spielberger, C., Gorsuch, R., Lushene, R., Vagg, P., & Jacobs, G. (1983). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Consulting Psychologists, Palo Alto, CA.
27. Sürücüler, H. K. (2019). 6-12 Aylık bebeği olan babalara verilen eğitimin baba-bebek bağlanma durumuna etkisi (Tez No: 582759). [Master's thesis, Balıkesir Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü]. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/tezSorguSonucYeni.jsp
28. Tanaka, K., Okada, E., Hirata, T., Kimura, T., & Tamakoshi, A. (2023). Association between father's involvement with his wife/partner during pregnancy and father-to-infant bonding failure. Japanese Journal of Public Health, 70(6), 359-368. https://doi.org/10.11236/jph.22-035
29. Telli, A. A., & Özkan, H. (2016). 3-6 yaş grubu çocuğu olan babaların babalık rolü algısı ve etkileyen faktörlerin belirlenmesi. İzmir Dr. Behçet Uz Çocuk Hastanesi Dergisi, 6(2), 127-134
30. Türkmen, H., & Güler, S. (2022). Factors affecting ıntrauterine paternal-foetal attachment and the responsibility status of fathers concerning mothers and babies. Journal of Reproductive and İnfant Psychology, 40(5), 451–464. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2021.1904506
31. Wong, M. S., Mangelsdorf, S. C., Brown, G. L., Neff, C., & Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J. (2009). Parental beliefs, infant temperament, and marital quality: associations with infant-mother and infant-father attachment. Journal of Family Psychology 23(6), 828–838. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016491
32. Wynter, K., Rowe, H., Tran, T., & Fisher, J. (2016). Factors associated with father-to-infant attachment at 6 months postpartum: a community-based study in Victoria, Australia. Journal of Reproductive and Infant psychology, 34(2), 185-195.