Three Studies of Fathers' Adaptation to Pregnancy and Parenthood: (1) Moving up the ëMagic Momentí: Fathersí Experience of Prenatal Ultrasound; (2) The Longitudinal Development of Paternal-fetal Attachment; (3) Fathering after Military Deployment: Parenting Challenges and Goals of Fathers of Young Children.

Abstract

Fathers’ positive and negative interactions impact the health and wellness of mothers and children beginning in the prenatal period and extending across the lifecourse, yet little is known regarding opportunities to engage fathers and encourage patterns of supportiveness. In three discrete, but connected, empirical papers, in my dissertation I use a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate such opportunities. I use a grounded theory approach to analyze data collected in interviews with expectant fathers after attending a routine prenatal ultrasound, and I find that the period of pregnancy, and the moment of ultrasound in particular, may offer a potent teachable moment when men are feeling hopeful about the future, examining their behaviors and life choices, and may be receptive to outreach. I use data from cross-sectional surveys administered three times across pregnancy to men expecting their first child to examine trajectories of development of paternal-fetal attachment, and find that paternal-fetal attachment increases with time, and is consistently higher among fathers who considered the pregnancy both wanted and well-timed. I examine interview data collected from fourteen male service members, each returned from deployment to a combat zone and parent to at least one child under age seven, to identify specific parenting challenges and goals of fathers of young children post-deployment. Collectively, my three dissertation papers expand the knowledge base on men’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors during the transition to fatherhood, and advance understanding of how to support emerging competencies in early fatherhood and promote nurturing father-child relationships.