The Effect on Father Identity Obtained by Birth-Review for Couple in First Time Parents with Fathers who Attended Their Childbirth—A randomized controlled trial—

Abstract

Purpose: To clarify the effects on father identity of Birth-Review for Couple in first time parents with fathers who attended their childbirth.

Methods: We randomly assigned the intervention group (22 patients) and the control group (23 patients) from first-time fathers who were willing to attend their childbirth in order to compared the two groups. In the intervention group, a Birth-Review for Couple (a 30 to 60 minute Birth- Review within 3 days of childbirth) was provided to the couple. The survey was conducted at three points: in late pregnancy; after childbirth; and one month after childbirth. The results were then statistically analysed.

Results: As a result of two-way analysis of variance, significant differences were found in subordinate concepts of fatherliness, heightened paternal awareness (F = 10.969, p < 0.001) and positive feelings triggered by the child (F = 5.848, p = 0.007). In particular, these subordinate concepts were significantly higher both immediately after and one month after the childbirth than before intervention at the end of pregnancy (p < 0.01~0.001).

Conclusions: The Birth-Review for Couple was shown to increase “the upwelling consciousness of being a father” and “a rush of emotion coming from the existence of a child/children” after the childbirth, which continued to 1 month after childbirth.