Department of Nursing, Brock University.
Department of Psychology, St. Jerome's University.
Dev Psychol. 2017 Oct;53(10):1844-1858. doi: 10.1037/dev0000390. Epub 2017 Aug 17.
We examined the extent to which fathers can be taught and encouraged to develop positive relationships with their children, especially in infancy, and the effects of this fathering intervention on infant development. A multifaceted relationally focused intervention was used to assist fathers in Vietnam to engage in responsive direct and indirect involvement with their infants and work together with the mother as part of a parenting team. Fathers and mothers from 13 communes in a rural and semiurban district were recruited to the intervention group. Intervention fathers received group and individual counseling before and after birth, an interactive print resource, community messages about fathering, and the opportunity to participate in a Fathers Club. Couples from 12 comparable communes in a noncontiguous district were recruited to the control group. Fathers and mothers completed questionnaires at the prebirth recruitment and at 1-, 4-, and 9-months postbirth. Intervention fathers demonstrated greater increase in knowledge and attitudes regarding father-infant relationships. Both fathers and mothers reported that fathers engaged in more affection, care-taking, and play in the early months of their infants' lives and fathers felt more attached to their infants right from birth. A developmental assessment at 9 months showed that intervention infants demonstrated higher levels of motor, language, and personal/social development. This study demonstrated that fathers can be taught to interact more sensitively, responsively, and effectively with their newborn infants. Their increased interaction and emotional attachment appears to lay the foundation for enhanced infant development. (PsycINFO Database Record
我们考察了父亲在多大程度上可以被教导和鼓励与他们的孩子建立积极的关系，尤其是在婴儿期，以及这种育儿干预对婴儿发育的影响。采用了一种多方面的、以关系为重点的干预措施，帮助越南的父亲与他们的婴儿进行积极的直接和间接互动，并与母亲一起作为育儿团队的一部分合作。从一个农村和半城市地区的 13 个公社招募了父亲参与干预组。干预组的父亲在出生前和出生后接受了小组和个人咨询、互动印刷资源、关于育儿的社区信息，以及参加父亲俱乐部的机会。从一个不相邻地区的 12 个可比公社招募了对照组的父母。父亲和母亲在出生前招募时以及在 1、4 和 9 个月后完成了问卷调查。干预组的父亲在父亲-婴儿关系方面表现出更大的知识和态度的增加。父亲和母亲都报告说，父亲在婴儿生命的早期阶段表现出更多的感情、照顾和玩耍，并且从出生开始就对他们的婴儿更有依恋感。9 个月时的发展评估显示，干预组的婴儿在运动、语言和个人/社会发展方面表现出更高的水平。这项研究表明，父亲可以被教导与他们的新生儿更敏感、更积极地互动。他们增加的互动和情感依恋似乎为增强婴儿的发育奠定了基础。
