Parenting stress and support needs of fathers raising their first infant born at term

Abstract

 This study aimed to quantify parenting stress in fathers of firstborn infants based on the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) and to determine the current status of their support needs. 1,147 fathers were surveyed, and 239 valid responses (21%) were included in the analysis. Parenting stress was measured by the Japanese version of the PSI-SF. The mean PSI-SF scores for fathers were 37.3 (±8.8) total points, 18.3 (±4.7) for child aspects, and 19.0 (±5.3) for parental aspects, that were slightly lower than the mean scores for mothers and fathers in previous studies. The mean score for satisfaction with parenting support to the company and the government was 2.8 (±1.0) out of 5. Support needs in childcare included requests for flexible parental leave for fathers, a measure that the government is currently focusing on, and requests pertaining to the ongoing issues that have existed for some time, such as financial support and the improvement of nursery school.