Paternal Postnatal Sense of Security as a Predictor of Fathers' Breastfeeding Support: A Cross-Sectional Study

Paternal postnatal sense of security, referring to fathers' perceptions of role clarity, emotional reassurance, and support during the postpartum period, may be relevant to their active involvement in infant care and their influence on breastfeeding practices.

This cross-sectional correlational study included 103 fathers whose partners were in the early postpartum period. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Paternal Postnatal Sense of Security Scale, and the Partner Breastfeeding Influence Scale. Pearson and Spearman's rho correlations were used to examine relationships between variables. A two-step hierarchical regression assessed whether paternal postnatal sense of security was independently associated with breastfeeding influence and support behaviors after controlling for educational level and income status.

Paternal postnatal sense of security was positively associated with breastfeeding influence and support behaviors. Hierarchical regression showed that postnatal sense of security was significantly and independently associated with breastfeeding influence and support behaviors (B = 1.89, β = .33, p < .001), explaining an additional 9.4% of the variance beyond sociodemographic variables: ΔR² = .094, F-change(1, 97) = 12.30, p < .001. Spearman's rho indicated that longer mutually planned breastfeeding duration was associated with higher postnatal sense of security.

A stronger postnatal sense of security among fathers is associated with greater involvement in breastfeeding support. These findings highlight the need to include fathers in postpartum care and breastfeeding education. Further longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to clarify how paternal postnatal sense of security relates to breastfeeding outcomes.