School of Nursing, Chung Jen Junior College of Nursing, Health Science and Management, Chia-Yi County, Taiwan; School of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
School of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Appl Nurs Res. 2018 Apr;40:137-142. doi: 10.1016/j.apnr.2018.01.004. Epub 2018 Jan 31.
For first-time fathers, the perinatal period is a critical period of stress and imbalance. Marital intimacy and social support may affect their stress and health status while they change their roles.
This study was to explore the changes of and correlations among marital intimacy, social support, and health status and predictors of first-time fathers' health status during the perinatal period.
With a repeated measures study design, a total of 217 first-time fathers whose spouses were in the third trimester of pregnancy were recruited for the study. The Chinese Health Questionnaire, Marital Intimacy Scale, and Social Support Scale were employed to collect data at a medical center in the 36th week of pregnancy and the 1st and 4th weeks after childbirth.
The levels of marital intimacy and social support of first-time fathers during the perinatal period increased significantly with time. Meanwhile, the period of the first week after childbirth was a predictor of first-time father's health status.
This study only tracked the first-time fathers' health status in the 36th week of pregnancy and the 1st and 4th weeks after childbirth. Future studies could track them until one year after childbirth in order to explore the impact of the perinatal period on the couples and their babies. During the perinatal period, health care providers shall assess and provide needed interventions to first-time fathers as soon as possible to facilitate the first-time fathers to get ready for the role transition and to promote their health status.
对于初为人父的男性来说，围产期是一个压力和失衡的关键时期。婚姻亲密关系和社会支持可能会影响他们的压力和健康状况，因为他们正在转变角色。
本研究旨在探讨围产期初为人父者婚姻亲密关系、社会支持和健康状况的变化及其相关性，以及预测他们健康状况的因素。
采用重复测量设计，招募了 217 名配偶处于妊娠第 36 周的初为人父者。在一家医疗中心，使用中国健康问卷、婚姻亲密关系量表和社会支持量表，分别在妊娠第 36 周、产后第 1 周和第 4 周收集数据。
初为人父者在围产期的婚姻亲密关系和社会支持水平随时间显著增加。同时，产后第 1 周是初为人父者健康状况的预测因素。
本研究仅在妊娠第 36 周、产后第 1 周和第 4 周追踪初为人父者的健康状况。未来的研究可以追踪他们直到产后一年，以探讨围产期对夫妇及其婴儿的影响。在围产期，医疗保健提供者应尽快评估和提供所需的干预措施，以帮助初为人父者做好角色转变的准备，并促进他们的健康状况。
