What It Means to Become a FatherShow others and affiliations
2025 (English)In: American Journal of Men's Health, ISSN 1557-9883, E-ISSN 1557-9891, Vol. 19, no 2Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
For fathers, the transition to parenthood can be experienced as an emotional phase. Fathers often state feeling overlooked and unsupported during their transition to parenthood. This study addressed this issue by exploring what it means to become a father—a qualitative design with a phenomenological hermeneutical approach. Data were collected through open-ended interviews with 19 fathers living in Sweden. The participants were encouraged to reflect on the meaning of becoming a father. Becoming a father means feeling connectedness to their child, their partner, and their friends, as well as creating strategies entailing flexibility, engagement, management, support, and solitude in their new situation. Fathers use digital media for support to create strategies, but it can evoke anxiety. The meaning of becoming a father concludes that they are deeply affected by the new situation. To support fathers during their transition to parenthood, midwives and child healthcare nurses should facilitate reflective conversations with them about their experiences of becoming a father. This study was guided by the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research Checklist.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. Vol. 19, no 2
Keywords [en]
men, parent, phenomenological hermeneutic, pregnancy, transition, well-being
National Category
Nursing
Research subject
The Human Perspective in Care
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-33422DOI: 10.1177/15579883251323251Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105001482844OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hb-33422DiVA, id: diva2:1949952
Funder
University of Skövde2025-04-042025-04-042025-04-28Bibliographically approved