Fathers' Needs and Masculinity Dilemmas in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Denmark
Betty Noergaard1, Jette Ammentorp, Jesper Fenger-Gron
1Department of Paediatrics (Ms Noergaard and Drs Fenger-Gron and Kofoed) and Health Services Research Unit (Dr Ammentorp), Lillebaelt Hospital, Kolding, Denmark; and Institute of Regional Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences (Ms Noergaard and Drs Ammentorp and Kofoed) and Research Unit of User Perspectives, Department of Public Health (Dr Johannessen), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Insights
Fathers in neonatal intensive care units want to be equal coparents but face challenges balancing caregiving with traditional breadwinner roles. Healthcare providers should support fathers
Area of Science:
- Neonatal intensive care
- Family-centered care
- Fatherhood studies
Background:
- Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) often prioritize infant and maternal needs.
- Fathers in NICUs may feel powerless and struggle with bonding.
- Evolving societal roles for men necessitate understanding fathers' experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify fathers' needs during infant NICU admission.
- To analyze these needs through the lens of masculinity theory.
- To inform clinical practices and advance knowledge on fatherhood.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study employing participant observation.
- Utilized interviews and focus group discussions.
- Grounded theory principles for data analysis.
Main Results:
- Fathers desire involvement as caregivers and coparents.
- Balancing caregiving with breadwinner expectations is a key challenge.
- Emotional experiences and needs were significant themes.
Conclusions:
- NICU healthcare professionals must recognize fathers' desire to be equal coparents.
- Nurses can facilitate fathers' involvement and validate their importance.
- Further cross-cultural research is needed on fatherhood in NICUs.
Background:
Most healthcare professionals in neonatal intensive care units typically focus on the infants and mothers; fathers often feel powerless and find it difficult to establish a father-child relationship. In family-centered healthcare settings, exploring fathers' experiences and needs is important because men's roles in society, especially as fathers, are changing.
Purpose:
To describe fathers' needs when their infants are admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit and to discuss these needs within a theoretical framework of masculinity to advance understanding and generate meaningful knowledge for clinical practices.
Methods:
This qualitative study used participant observation, interviews, multiple sequential interviews, and a focus group discussion. Data were analyzed using grounded theory principles.
Results:
Analysis of the fathers' needs generated 2 primary themes: (1) Fathers as caregivers and breadwinners and (2) fathers and emotions. Fathers wished to be involved and to take care of their infants but have to balance cultural and social norms and expectations of being breadwinners with their wishes to be equal coparents.
Implications For Practice/Research:
Health professionals in neonatal intensive care units must be aware of fathers' need and desire to be equal coparents. Nurses should play a key role by, for example, showing that fathers are as important to their infants as are the mothers, helping them become involved in childcare, and ensuring that they are directly informed about their children's progress. Further research in other cultural settings would contribute to knowledge regarding fatherhood and the role of fathers in childcare.
Related Concept Videos
00:55Parental Care
01:18Sources of Self-Esteem I: Family Experience
01:12Psychosexual Stages of Personality: Phallic
01:17Ethical Dilemmas I
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
01:30Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
01:27Parenting Styles
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...