Expectant fathers: emotional reactions, physical symptoms and coping styles.

Abstract

This study investigated emotional and physical reactions in two groups of expectant fathers: expecting a first child, expecting a second or subsequent child. These were compared with each other and with a control group of fathers whose wives were not pregnant. The hypotheses predicted that expectant fathers in general, and expectant fathers expecting their first child in particular, would report higher situational anxiety and would experience physical symptoms more frequently than the control group. It was also predicted that expectant fathers who reported high levels of emotional involvement with their wives' pregnancy would report high levels of anxiety and high frequency of physical symptoms while expectant fathers who reported active involvement would report a lower level of anxiety and lower frequency of symptoms. Contrary to prediction, expectant fathers, particularly those who were expecting their first child, reported lower levels of anxiety. The hypothesis about physical symptoms was confirmed. Expectant fathers reported experiencing physical symptoms more frequently than controls, and the highest frequency was reported by those expecting their first child. The correlations between types of involvement and anxiety or physical symptoms indicate that all types of involvement are negatively correlated with anxiety. Emotional involvement correlates with frequency of experiencing physical symptoms, and active involvement does not correlate with frequency of experiencing physical symptoms.