Men's adjustment to fatherhood: implications for obstetric health care.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess factors affecting first-time fathers' transition to parenthood. DESIGN: A longitudinal repeated measures study in which participants were interviewed in mid-pregnancy and completed assessments in late pregnancy, in early postpartum, and at 4 months postpartum. SELLING AND PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred twenty-five first-time fathers were recruited from a major obstetric hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, from 1995 to 1998, via their partners. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Men were seen separately from their spouses, and questionnaires assessing parity history, social support, marital satisfaction, anger, anxiety, and gender role stress were completed at each time. Prenatal and postnat..