de Waal Noor, van den Heuvel Marion I, Nyklíček Ivan, Pop Victor J M, Boekhorst Myrthe G B M
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands.
Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands.
J Reprod Infant Psychol. 2025 Jun;43(3):665-680. doi: 10.1080/02646838.2023.2252890. Epub 2023 Aug 31.
The birth of an infant marks a period of profound change in first-time parents. Parental love and warmth, however, already begin to develop during pregnancy. Also for fathers, the development of bonding to the infant may be a unique process. The current qualitative study aimed to explore views and experiences of first-time fathers on the origins and development of paternal bonding during pregnancy and early childhood. In total, 30 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with expectant fathers (second or third trimester of pregnancy; = 10) and fathers of infants (0-6 months postpartum; = 11) and toddlers (2-3 years of age; = 9). Two major themes were uncovered from the data: feelings of bonding and facilitators of bonding. The first theme was supported with three subthemes: 1) from abstract to concrete, 2) positive emotions, and 3) uncertainties and worries. The second theme, facilitators of bonding, was supported with four subthemes: 1) experiencing the foetus, 2) meeting the child, 3) interaction, and 4) communication. Similar to previous studies, our results suggested that, in most fathers, paternal bonding originates in pregnancy and that it evolves over time. Seeing or feeling the child, both during pregnancy and postpartum, as well as interacting or communicating with the child, appears to facilitate fathers' feelings of bonding. Involving fathers in pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting may be essential for their bonding process.
婴儿的出生标志着初为父母的人进入了一个深刻变化的时期。然而，父母的爱和温暖在孕期就已经开始发展。对父亲来说，与婴儿建立情感联系的过程也可能是独特的。当前的这项定性研究旨在探讨初为人父者在孕期和幼儿期对父性情感联系的起源和发展的看法及经历。总共对准父亲（孕期第二或第三个月；n = 10）、婴儿的父亲（产后0至6个月；n = 11）以及幼儿的父亲（2至3岁；n = 9）进行了30次深入的半结构式访谈。从数据中发现了两个主要主题：情感联系的感受和情感联系的促进因素。第一个主题由三个子主题支撑：1）从抽象到具体，2）积极情绪，3）不确定性和担忧。第二个主题，情感联系的促进因素，由四个子主题支撑：体验胎儿，迎接孩子，互动，交流。与之前的研究相似，我们的结果表明，在大多数父亲中，父性情感联系始于孕期，并随着时间的推移而发展。在孕期和产后看到或感觉到孩子，以及与孩子互动或交流，似乎有助于父亲产生情感联系。让父亲参与孕期、分娩和育儿过程对他们建立情感联系可能至关重要。
