Changes in father-infant bonding beliefs across couples' first transition to parenthood

Thirty-five couples expecting their first child served as subjects in a study of changes in beliefs concerning father-infant bonding experienced by individuals and couples across the transition to parenthood. Through a series of open-ended interviews and structured questionnaire measures, it was determined that the typical first-time father and mother undergo significant drops in their beliefs about the importance of father-infant bonding across their first transition to parenthood. Regression analyses were employed to construct models predictive of changes in parents' father-infant bonding beliefs. Results indicate that both prenatal beliefs and circumstances of the delivery predict changes in parents' father-infant bonding beliefs. Implications for childbirth educators, delivery staff, and parent support providers are discussed.