Anxiety in Fathers and Father-Infant Attachment

Authors : Gizem Kurtuluş, Büşra Yolcu, Yasemin Hamlacı Başkaya

Pages : 51-58

Doi:10.62425/esbder.1432123

View : 37 | Download : 32

Publication Date : 2025-03-26

Article Type : Research Paper

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