Do mothers and fathers perceive their infants differently?

Abstract

Maternal and paternal perceptions of 3-month-old infants were examined and compared. A group of 172 couples agreed to participate and completed questionnaires including the neonatal adjective checklist (NAC) and Broussard's neonatal perception inventory. A model of determinants of perception served as the theoretical background of the study. This model includes child and parent characteristics, social support, living conditions and obstetric history as possible determinants of perception. Factor analyses performed on NAC adjectives revealed that fathers and mothers attributed the same features to infants and organized their perceptions according to the same aspects of characteristics (i.e. emotions, demands, activity, prettiness). Comparisons of parents' own baby with an average or ideal one indicated that their own infants were perceived as less demanding and less difficult than other babies. Parental perception was related to some of the variables included in the theoretical model. Some determinants of perception were different when men's and women's views of their children's characteristics and behaviour were analysed separately. Fathers of boys perceived their babies more positively than fathers of girls. Negative paternal perception was related to breastfeeding and a history of previous miscarriages. Negative maternal perception was associated with the amount of pain experienced during delivery. Those fathers who were more satisfied with the social support they received, perceive their infants more positively.