School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
West J Nurs Res. 2022 May;44(5):493-505. doi: 10.1177/01939459211002909. Epub 2021 Apr 9.
There is no current theory that explains the process of a fathers' bonding with their infants born prematurely. Through meta-synthesis of 19 qualitative studies, we developed a conceptual framework to illustrate how fathers perceive the relationship with their premature infant formed over the first 18 months of life. It details the contextual factors that contribute to that process. Findings reveal a complex process comprised of five stages, derived from five core themes and related subthemes. Fathers progress through five sequential stages to establish their role as fathers and form emotional connections with their child. Stages include: (a) feeling alien and lacking emotional connection to the infant, (b) caregiving engagement and claiming the role as a father, (c) claiming the infant as their own, (d) adjusting to having the infant home, and (5) normalizing family life. This conceptual framework can inform future research and clinical interventions designed to foster father-infant bonding.
目前尚无理论可以解释父亲与早产儿之间的联系过程。通过对 19 项定性研究的元综合分析，我们构建了一个概念框架，用以阐释父亲如何看待他们在婴儿出生后的头 18 个月中与早产儿之间的关系。该框架详细说明了促成这一过程的各种情境因素。研究结果揭示了一个复杂的过程，由五个核心主题及其相关子主题衍生的五个阶段组成。父亲通过五个连续的阶段来确立自己的父亲角色，并与孩子建立情感联系。这些阶段包括：(a) 感到陌生，与婴儿缺乏情感联系；(b) 参与照顾并宣称自己是父亲；(c) 将婴儿视为己出；(d) 适应婴儿回家；以及 (5) 使家庭生活正常化。该概念框架可以为未来旨在促进父子情感联系的研究和临床干预提供信息。
