“Fathers Are Not Mothers” Nurses’ Experiences of Practicing With Fathers When Providing Care to Their Children: A Qualitative Systematic Review
This qualitative review aims to synthesize the evidence on nurses' experience of intervening with fathers when providing care to their young children. Five databases were searched. Inclusion criteria were (a) nurses' experience, (b) intervention with fathers, (c) written in English or French. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers. Qualitative thematic synthesis of 17 peer-reviewed studies was performed by 12 family nurse researchers from six countries. Three analytical themes were identified: "Conceiving of the father's role in terms of his involvement within the family"; "Working with fathers based on the nurse's individual conception of the paternal role"; and "Developing a sense of efficacy in working with fathers." The results highlight the importance of raising family nurses' awareness of fathers' individual realities. Training in this regard makes it possible to modify nurses' perceptions of the paternal role and to promote the adoption of father inclusive practices within the family.
Authors
- Debbie Sheppard-LeMoine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5581-5061)
- Lucila Castanheira Nascimento (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7900-7111)
- Isabelle Landry (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2047-904X)
- Naiara Barros Polita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3139-5255)
- Caroline René (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4960-6444)
- Willyane de Andrade Alvarenga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6114-8293)
- Francine de Montigny (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1676-0189)
- Anne Brødsgaard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5029-9480)
- Mari Ikeda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2000-8523)
- Cynthia A. Danford (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2391-0632)
- Suja Somanadhan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0590-0126)
- Christine Gervais (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5695-9358)
Institutions
- University College Dublin (IE)
- Roskilde University (DK)
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina (BR)
- Cleveland Clinic (US)
- Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- Aarhus University (DK)
- Hvidovre Hospital (DK)
- Copenhagen University Hospital (DK)
- Universidade Federal do Piauí (BR)
- Université du Québec en Outaouais (CA)
- Centro Universitário UNINOVAFAPI (BR)
- Centro Universitário SATC
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (CA)
- University of Windsor (CA)
- The University of Tokyo (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Family Nursing
- Published
- 2025-11-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/10748407251392877
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.76
Funders
- Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Société et Culture