Men’s psychological and functional changes during parental transition: a review study

Abstract

PurposeTransition to parenthood (TTP) is a major life event that affects all aspects of one’s psychosocial function. Similar to their partners, men experience a lot of psychological changes during the TTP process. As there are a few studies on this subject, so the purpose of this study is to review previous studies on psychological and functional changes in men during TTP.Design/methodology/approachThis is a review study that reports the findings from a review of previous studies on psychological and functional changes in men during TTP. This study searched from the electronic database between articles published in between 2005–20.FindingsThis study was carried out in five stages: framing research questions; searching databases with an effective strategy; selecting relevant studies; findings mining; summarizing and classifying findings; and providing results. After the literature review, relevant studies were categorized into three groups. The first, second and third groups included studies on prenatal, labor and delivery and postnatal TTP, respectively. Psychological and functional changes in men during TTP significantly affect child-father relationships, development of children and sexual relationship with a partner. Therefore, further attention should be given to this important process, along with changes, expectations, needs, etc.Originality/valueThis study reviews men’s functional changes along with their psychological changes during the parental transition. This study also reviews effective strategies and interventions for successful parental transition in men.