Fathers' behavior during their child's ambulatory surgery

This study is a secondary analysis of data previously collected to examine the effects of preoperative parental teaching in ambulatory pediatric surgery. The authors used a descriptive comparative design to re-examine and differentiate mothers' and fathers' behaviors during their child's ambulatory surgery experience. Parental behaviors of 142 families during the hour following their child's return from surgery were captured on videotape and scored by two nurses using the Parental Behaviors Inventory. The final sample was comprised of 78 fathers and 131 mothers. Fathers and mothers demonstrated similar types of behaviors, mostly behaviors such as showing affection and giving some physical care. Fathers were less present at the bedside than mothers and demonstrated quantifiably less helping behaviors than mothers. The results of this analysis illustrated that fathers demonstrate helping behaviors at the hospital and that these behaviors can be encouraged and supported by hospital staff. Additional research is needed with larger samples and with different ethnicities that investigates fathers' roles in this and other healthcare settings and that will lead to programs aimed at building fathers' competencies in their child's health care.