Does Antenatal Education Affect Level Of Empathy And Attachment Of Fathers?

ABSTRACT

Objective

The study aimed to determine the effects of antenatal education on the paternal bonding and empathic tendency levels of men who would become fathers for the first time.

Background

There are a limited number of studies in the literature that have investigated the effects of antenatal education programmes on fathers.

Methods

This prospective, controlled quasi-experimental study was conducted in a hospital in Istanbul. The men in the antenatal educational group (EG) and their wives participated in training in antenatal classes. The men in the control group (CG) came for routine prenatal follow-up examinations with their wives. The Empathic Tendency and Paternal Postnatal Attachment Scales were used to collect the data.

Results

The Empathic Tendency Scale was applied before the education (1) – after the education (2) and at the 6th postpartum week (3), whilst the Paternal Postnatal Attachment Scale was used at the 6th postpartum month (4). EG had higher emphatic tendency levels in the 2nd and 3rd measurements and higher paternal bonding levels in the 4th measurement in comparison to CG (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Antenatal education increased the emphatic tendency of the fathers and the effects of this education continued in the postpartum period and affected paternal bonding positively.

KEYWORDS:

• Antenatal education
• empathy
• paternal bonding

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the men who agreed to participate in this study for their contribution

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).