Sources of father-infant bonding beliefs: implications for childbirth educators

Media presentations, anecdotal reports, and survey data suggest that the public is invested in the concept of father-infant bonding. The purpose of the present study was to examine information sources influencing persons' beliefs concerning father-infant bonding. As a follow-up to their participation in a larger survey (N = 244), 17 subjects responded to individual, in-depth interviews investigating the strength and direction of laypersons' bonding beliefs. Specifically, the investigator wanted to know what types and sources of evidence people would cite as influencing their beliefs about father-infant bonding. Although a majority of respondents expressed strong belief in both the phenomenon of bonding and the existence of scientific evidence to support it, only one subject had direct exposure to a professional journal article on the topic. Of those subjects able to cite information sources impacting upon their bonding beliefs, "general knowledge" was most frequently cited, followed by mass media, classes, and popular readings. These findings can explain the mismatch between the lack of unequivocal empirical evidence supportive of father-infant bonding and the strength and pervasiveness of the subjects' beliefs. Implications are discussed for medical personnel and childbirth and parent educators.