International Connections ColumnStress, Coping, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder of French Fathers of Premature Infants☆,☆☆,★
Section snippets
Participants
The participants were 48 French-speaking fathers of preterm infants, with a gestational age of less than 35 weeks. Infants with congenital problems affecting development (such as Trisomy 21 or Down syndrome) were excluded.
Sociodemographic Data
The data were obtained via a self-report questionnaire; and elements such as the age of the participants, marital status, ethnic group, level of education, occupation, and severity of infants' prematurity are taken into consideration.
Paternal Stress
The paternal stress was measured by the
Sample Characteristics on Main Demographic Details
The mean age of the fathers was 33.5 (SD = 3.5). Paternal age correlated with sights and sounds F (1; 47) = 3.949**. Paternal age also correlated to these coping strategies: social support, psychological stability, and self-esteem F (1; 47) = 3.692**1 and consultation with medical staff and communication with other parents in the NICU F (1; 47) = 4.369***. The older the father was, the more he used social support and communication with the medical staff.
Our sample was homogenous
Discussion
In summary, paternal stress is high during a premature birth, with signs of PTSD syndrome. As many studies admit, fathers of premature infants experience a high4., 12. or moderate level of stress.5
It is reasonable to believe that fathers would experience greater levels of stress during the more acute NICU phase rather than later, that is, within the first two weeks of the infant's birth. Shaw et al. (2009) found that fathers, trying to be supportive to mothers, tend to express their stress
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is necessary to study premature birth using a multidimensional model, in order to understand its complexity and the multiple factors that can play a role in the infant's outcome. Our findings emphasize paternal traumatic perinatal and postnatal experience. This study can also contribute to the proposal of interventions for fathers in the NICU and the improvement of professional practice in French NICU by understanding and taking into consideration the paternal life experience
Acknowledgments
The study was conducted in collaboration with Charlotte Casper and the whole neonate team. The manuscript was reviewed with the help of Julia Kallergi-Sideri.
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Cited by (28)
Parental sense of competence, paternal stress and perceived construction of the relationship with the premature newborn: A mixed method study
2022, Early Human DevelopmentCitation Excerpt :In our study, fathers evaluate the levels of perceived stress as high. As many studies admit, fathers of premature infants experience a high [18,38–40] or moderate level of stress [41]. In our study, the principal source of stress is the infant's fragile appearance which is also confirmed in other studies [42].
Fathers' perceptions of the NICU experience
2022, Journal of Neonatal NursingCitation Excerpt :Most fathers feel they need to be strong for their significant other and family and are responsible for their family's safety and well-being. They think their significant other and child are more important than finding a solution to their own mental anguish (Beck and Vo, 2020; Koliouli et al., 2016; Mahon et al., 2015). Therefore, nurses need to understand fathers' unique experiences in the NICU to help fathers cope with the NICU environment.
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Conflicts of interest: none.
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This manuscript is not currently under review or under consideration for publication elsewhere.
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Funding: this research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.