The Effect of Father-Infant Bonding on Fathers’ Attitudes Toward Participating in Childbirth and Fear of Childbirth

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the relationship betweenfather-infant bonding and expectant fathers’ attitudestoward birth participation as well as their birth-relatedfear levels.Material and MethodThis cross-sectional study was conducted betweenNovember 2023 and July 2024 at the obstetricsoutpatient clinics, maternity ward, and delivery roomsof Balıkesir University Health Practice and ResearchHospital. The sample consisted of 257 expectantfathers who met the inclusion criteria. Data werecollected using the Sociodemographic CharacteristicsForm, Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (PAAS),Attitude Scale Towards Participation in Birth forFather Candidates (ASPBFC), and Fathers’ Fearof Childbirth Scale (FFCS). Descriptive statistics,correlation analysis, univariate analyses, and linearregression were performed for statistical evaluation.ResultsThe mean scores of participants were 65.15 ± 6.70for the PAAS, 60.03 ± 17.47 for the ASPBFC, and59.85 ± 11.51 for the FFCS. Multiple linear regressionanalyses identified several significant predictors ofASPBFC and FFCS scores. Lower ASPBFC scoreswere observed among unemployed participants,those who did not feel ready for fatherhood, andthose who had not attended birth-related education,while the spouse’s age was positively associatedwith ASPBFC. Higher PAAS and FFCS scores wereassociated with lower ASPBFC. For FFCS, higherscores were found among participants with higherincome, those expecting a female fetus, and thosewho had not attended birth-related education, andFFCS increased with longer marriage duration. Incontrast, higher PAAS and ASPBFC scores wereassociated with lower FFCS.ConclusionExpectant fathers in this study demonstrated lowattitudes toward birth participation, moderate fatherinfantbonding, and high birth-related fear levels.Father-infant bonding emerged as a significantpredictor for both ASPBFC and FFCS scores.