Expectant Fathers’ Intentions for Infant Involvement: Role of Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Beliefs

Abstract: Perinatal father engagement has been shown to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and parental well-being. However, we know little about expectant fathers’ infant care self-efficacy and involvement intentions and their associated factors. An urban sample of 97 expectant fathers with less than a college degree completed a survey prenatally that assessed infant involvement intentions, parenting knowledge and beliefs, and expected infant care self-efficacy and coparenting support. Fathers reported high infant involvement intentions, strong infant care self-efficacy and coparenting support, and positive parenting beliefs, but lower levels of parenting knowledge. Regression analyses revealed significant positive associations between expected self-efficacy and infant involvement intentions, father role beliefs, and expected coparenting support, respectively. Anticipated weekly interaction time was positively associated with parenting knowledge. Findings underscore the importance of supporting paternal self-efficacy and knowledge prenatally and suggest that father-specific touchpoints during pregnancy could enhance early paternal engagement in infant care.