Elements of fatherhood involved in the gestational period: a scoping review

Alvarenga, Willyane de Andrade; Sousa, Maria da Conceição Silva Castro; Sales, Joice Kelly Lima de; Neris, Rhyquelle Rhibna; DeMontigny, Francine; Nascimento, Lucila Castanheira

doi:10.1590/0034-7167-2023-0029

Willyane de Andrade Alvarenga Corresponding author: Willyane de Andrade Alvarenga , E-mail: willyalvarenga@hotmail.com

study/research conception or design

data analysis and/or interpretation

final review with critical

intellectual participation in the manuscript

Centro Universitário Santo Agostinho.Teresina, Piauí, Brazil

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6114-8293

Maria da Conceição Silva Castro Sousa

study/research conception or design

data analysis and/or interpretation

final review with critical

intellectual participation in the manuscript

Centro Universitário Santo Agostinho.Teresina, Piauí, Brazil

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6222-6270

Joice Kelly Lima de Sales

study/research conception or design

data analysis and/or interpretation

final review with critical

intellectual participation in the manuscript

Centro Universitário Santo Agostinho.Teresina, Piauí, Brazil

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8131-3540

Rhyquelle Rhibna Neris

study/research conception or design

data analysis and/or interpretation

final review with critical

intellectual participation in the manuscript

Universidade de São Paulo. Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7796-4025

Francine DeMontigny

study/research conception or design

data analysis and/or interpretation

final review with critical

intellectual participation in the manuscript

Université du Québec en Outaouais, Département des sciences infirmières. Gatineau, Canada

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1676-0189

Lucila Castanheira Nascimento

study/research conception or design

data analysis and/or interpretation

final review with critical

intellectual participation in the manuscript

Universidade de São Paulo. Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7900-7111

Corresponding author: Willyane de Andrade Alvarenga , E-mail: willyalvarenga@hotmail.com

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Dulce Barbosa

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Priscilla Broca

PCC		SEARCH TERMS (MeSH and keywords)
P (Population) Father/partner	#1	“Fathers”[Mesh] OR “Fathers” OR “Father” OR “Stepfather” OR “Stepfathers” OR “Step-father” OR “Step-fathers” OR “Spouses”[Mesh] OR “Spouse” OR “Husbands” OR “Husband”
C (Concep) Fatherhood	#2	“Paternity”[Mesh] OR “Fatherhood” OR “Fathering” OR “Paternity” OR “Paternities” OR “Paternal Role” OR “Prenatal Bonding” OR “Paternal Attitudes” OR “Father-Child Relations”[Mesh] OR “Father-Child Relations” OR “Father Child Relations” OR “Father-Child Relation” OR “Relation, Father-Child” OR “Relations, Father-Child” OR “Father-Child Relationship” OR “Father Child Relationship” OR “Father-Child Relationships” OR “Relationship, Father-Child” OR “Relationships, Father-Child”
C (Context) Pregnancy/prenatal care	#3	“Prenatal Care”[Mesh] OR “Prenatal Care” OR “Care, Prenatal” OR “Antenatal Care” OR “Care, Antenatal”
Results:	#1 AND #2 AND #3

First author, year and country	Objective/proposal	Study design	Characteristics of participants/included studies
Obrzut, 1976(²⁹29 Joy Obrzut LA. Expectant fathers' perception of fathering. Am J Nurs [Internet]. 1976 [cited 2021 Jun 10];76(9):1440-2. Available from: http://journals.lww.com/00000446-197609000-00022 http://journals.lww.com/00000446-1976090... ) United States	Determine how expectant fathers define fatherhood, how they prepare for this moment and what their feelings about fatherhood are.	Qualitative study	N=20 first-time fathers. Ages from 20 to 40 years old, with an average of 27 years old. Gestational age in the last two months. All fathers were employees. Most were middle class. Thirteen pregnancies were planned.
Kao, 2004(³⁵35 Kao CH, Long A. First-Time taiwanese expectant fathers’ life experiences during the third trimester of pregnancy. J Nurs Res [Internet]. 2004 [cited 2022 Dec 10];12(1):60-5. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/00134372-200403000-00008 https://journals.lww.com/00134372-200403... ) Taiwan	Explore the experience of expectant fathers during their wives’ third trimester of pregnancy.	Qualitative study	N=14 first-time fathers. Partners’ gestational age between 34-36 weeks.
Deave, 2008(³⁶36 Deave T, Johnson D. The transition to parenthood: what does it mean for fathers? J Adv Nurs. 2008;63(6):626-33. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04748.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008... ) England	Explore first-time fathers’ needs in relation to care, support and education provided by health professionals during prenatal care, especially in relation to preparation for the transition to fatherhood and parenting skills.	Qualitative study	N=20 fathers from different backgrounds who were about to become fathers for the first time. N=18 fathers were interviewed again between 3 and 4 months postnatally. N=1 had moved. N=1 was unavailable for the second interview. Age varies between 19 and 37 years old. N=18 were White British. N=1 Asian. N=1 Brazilian. Variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, employment status varying from manual labor (n=7) to professional (n=6). N=1 was unemployed. N=1 receiving state disability benefit.
Poh, 2014(¹⁷17 Poh HL, Koh SSL, He H-G. An integrative review of fathers’ experiences during pregnancy and childbirth. Int Nurs Rev [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2022 Dec 10];61(4):543-54. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/inr.12137 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1... ) Singapore	Provide an overview of evidence on fathers’ experiences and needs during their partners’ pregnancy and childbirth to identify any gaps in existing literature and practice.	Integrative review	25 studies, 6 quantitative and 19 qualitative. Eight studies reported fathers’ experiences during pregnancy, 13 during childbirth and 4 in both periods.
Tehrani, 2015(³⁷37 Tehrani SG, Bazzazian S, Nayeri ND. Pregnancy experiences of first-time fathers in Iran: a qualitative interview study. Iran Red Crescent Med J [Internet]. 2014[cited 2022 Dec 10];17(2). Available from: https://sites.kowsarpub.com/ircmj/articles/16037.html https://sites.kowsarpub.com/ircmj/articl... ) Iran	Define fathers’ experience in their wives’ first pregnancy in a qualitative way and in the real environment scenario.	Qualitative study	N=26 fathers. Average age was 29 years, 55% of them were highly educated, 14% had higher education. 86% of fathers worked in the service sector, 9% were manual workers and 5% were office workers. Gestational age of the partner between the 32^nd and 40^th week.
Jeffery, 2015(³⁰30 Jeffery T, Luo KY, Kueh B, Petersen RW, Quinlivan JA. Australian fathers’ study: what influences paternal engagement with antenatal care? J Perinat Educ [Internet]. 2015[cited 2021 Jun 10];24(3):181-7. Available from: http://connect.springerpub.com/lookup/doi/10.1891/1058-1243.24.3.181 http://connect.springerpub.com/lookup/do... ) Australia	Assess fathers’ engagement levels in an Australian setting and determine whether the potentially modifiable factor of appointment by antenatal care providers influences fathers’ engagement.	Mixed method study	Average age of fathers was 31.3 years. Families with religious beliefs. Of the sample, 74% had a partner in the third trimester of pregnancy and 43% were first-time fathers.
Davis, 2015(³⁸38 Davis SA. The Role of the Father in Pregnancy in Jamaica. Int J Childbirth Educ. 2015;30(1):30-3.) Jamaica	Discuss the role of fathers in pregnancy in Jamaica.	Discussion article	Not applicable.
Aguiar, 2015(¹⁹19 Aguiar C, Jennings L. Impact of male partner antenatal accompaniment on perinatal health outcomes in developing countries: a systematic literature review. Matern Child Health J [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2022 Dec 10];19(9):2012-9. Available from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10995-015-1713-2 http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10995-... ) United States	Synthesize current literature regarding the effect of male prenatal care on non-HIV-related perinatal health outcomes in developing countries.	Systematic review	Seven studies were included in the review, all quantitative, longitudinal, prospective or comparative. Included studies originated from Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Johnsen, 2017(³⁴34 Johnsen H, Stenback P, Halldén BM, Svalenius EC, Persson EK. Nordic fathers’ willingness to participate during pregnancy. J Reprod Infant Psychol [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2022 Dec 10];35(3):223-35. Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02646838.2017.1297890 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... ) Sweden	Illuminate first-time expectant fathers’ experience of participation during pregnancy in three Nordic countries.	Qualitative study	N= 31 fathers who lived in Sweden (Boras n=8, Hund n= 10), Denmark (Copenhagen n=8) and Finland (Helsinki n=5). Fathers recruited when the partner was 30 weeks pregnant or beyond. Ages: 24 to 43 years old. N=3 fathers were studying. N= 7 fathers had a university degree. N=21 fathers had a degree. N=0 unemployed fathers.
Ministry of Health, 2018(³³33 Ministério da Saúde (BR). Secretaria de Atenção à Saúde. Departamento de Ações Programáticas Estratégicas. Guia do pré-natal do parceiro para profissionais de Saúde. Brasília, DF: Ministério da Saúde; 2018. 56 p.) Brazil	Present partners’ prenatal strategy.	Guide for healthcare professional	Not applicable.
Deibel, 2018(²⁸28 Deibel M, Zielinski RE, Shindler Rising S, Kane-Low L. Where are the dads? a pilot study of a dads-only session in group prenatal care. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs [Internet]. 2018[cited 2021 Jun 10];32(4):324-32. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/00005237-201810000-00009 https://journals.lww.com/00005237-201810... ) United States	Assess the feasibility and acceptability of adding a 2-hour session for fathers (male partners only) within a prenatal care model group known as Centering Pregnancy (CP).	Pilot study	N=5 fathers already enrolled in the prenatal program, who had completed up to the eighth session of the appointment, fluent in English. All were married and lived with their partners. N= 3 fathers were having their first child. N=2 fathers were having their second child. Ages varied between 18 and 24 years old (n=1), 25 and 29 years old (n=2) and 30 and 35 years old (n=2). N=1 father identified as African American. N=3 fathers identified as white. N= 1 father refused to respond. N= 3 fathers had secondary education or higher. N= 1 father had a doctoral degree. N= 1 father did not answer.
Nash, 2018(³¹31 Nash M. Addressing the needs of first-time fathers in Tasmania: a qualitative study of father-only antenatal groups. Aust J Rural Health [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2021 Jun 10];26(2):106-11. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ajr.12371 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1... ) Australia	Examine how first-time fathers in rural Tasmania experienced fathers-only antenatal education/support groups.	Qualitative study	N=25 fathers living in three rural areas of Tasmania (South, Central Coast and North Midlands). They were ≥18 years old and about to become first-time fathers with a partner of at least 20 weeks’ gestational age. Fathers were between 24 and 43 years old. The majority lived in the countryside and self-identified as Anglo-Australian, and 50% had higher education.
Xue, 2018(¹⁴14 Xue WL, Shorey S, Wang W, He H-G. Fathers’ involvement during pregnancy and childbirth: an integrative literature review. Midwifery [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Dec 10];62:135-45. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0266613816303151 https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve... ) Singapore	Provide a literature overview on paternal involvement during the pregnancy and childbirth periods and the factors that influence this involvement.	Integrative review	A total of 31 studies were included, 17 quantitative, 9 qualitative and 5 reviews.
Tokhi, 2018(²⁰20 Tokhi M, Comrie-Thomson L, Davis J, Portela A, Chersich M, Luchters S. Involving men to improve maternal and newborn health: a systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions. PLoS One. 2018;13(1):e0191620. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191620 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.019... ) Australia	Determine the effect of interventions to engage men during pregnancy, childbirth and childhood on mortality and morbidity.	Systematic review	Thirteen studies from nine countries were included in the review, three of which had experimental designs and ten were observational. Eight studies were conducted in South Asia, 3 in Southern or East Africa, 1 in Indonesia, and another in Turkey.
Cheng, 2019(²¹21 Cheng ER, McGough H, Edmonds BT. Paternal preferences, perspectives, and involvement in perinatal decision making. Obstet Gynecol Surv [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2022 Dec 10];74(3):170-7. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/00006254-201903000-00019 https://journals.lww.com/00006254-201903... ) United States	Conduct a narrative literature review to explore fathers’ preferences, perspectives and involvement in perinatal decision-making.	Narrative review	A total of 13 studies were included in the review, the majority from Scandinavia. Twelve studies were qualitative in nature and 1 was quantitative. The primary studies included gestational and post-childbirth fathers, first-time fathers, and second-time fathers.
Bonifácio, 2020(³²32 Bonifácio LP, Franzon ACA, Zaratini FS, Vicentine FB, Barbosa-Júnior F, Braga GC, et al. PRENACEL partner - use of short message service (SMS) to encourage male involvement in prenatal care: a cluster randomized trial. Reprod Health [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2022 Dec 10];17(1):45. Available from: https://reproductive-health-journal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12978-020-0859-6 https://reproductive-health-journal.biom... ) Brazil	Assess the PRENACEL Program implementation, a technological health communication resource, via SMS, for partners of pregnant women, as a strategy to improve men’s participation and involvement in prenatal care and childbirth.	Randomized controlled clinical trial	Average age of fathers was 30 years, with minimum 19 and maximum 54 years. N=186 fathers. N=62 from the PRENACEL group (who received the messages). N=73 from the non-PRENACEL group (partners who did not receive the messages, but belonged to the intervention Basic Health Units). N=51 from the control group. 51% declared themselves mixed race, 90% were working and 62% already had children.

[1] Corresponding author: Willyane de Andrade Alvarenga , E-mail: willyalvarenga@hotmail.com

Brasil

Brasil

Elements of fatherhood involved in the gestational period: a scoping review

Elementos de la paternidad involucrados en el período gestacional: revisión del alcance

ABSTRACT

Objective:

Method:

Results:

Conclusion: