Make room for daddy: enhancing paternal self-efficacy following preterm birth through Kangaroo Care

The premature birth of a child is a stressful experience for fathers and represents a threat to their parental self-efficacy. This longitudinal study aimed to examine the contribution of fathers’ participation in Kangaroo Care (KC) for their preterm infant to the increase of their self-efficacy over time. 42 fathers of premature infants (up to 33 weeks) were recruited from a Quebec NICU. Paternal self-efficacy was measured using the 'Parenting Sense of Competence Scale' on three occasions: before KC, at NICU discharge, and three months post-discharge. Path analysis showed that the father-to-mother KC frequency ratio in the NICU predicted greater paternal self-efficacy after hospitalization (controlling for baseline), and its persistence three months post-discharge. Results highlight the importance of fathers' involvement with their preterm infant through KC to enhance their parental self-efficacy. Mothers and medical staff can facilitate this by encouraging fathers’ active care in the NICU.