The Adjustment of Fathers to their First Baby: The Roles of Parenting Groups and Marital Relationship

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Forty‐seven first‐time fathers from Lamaze classes were studied by means of self‐reports of their feelings of well‐being, sense of competence as parents, views of their babies’temperaments, marital relationships and social support systems. These self‐reports were recorded at 2–3 months, 5–6 months and 9–10 months after childbirth. Twenty of the fathers were attending parenting groups during this period, while 27 fathers expressed interest but did not attend. Fathers participated more in baby care and felt more comfortable as parents as their babies become older, but they reported a slight decrease in marital satisfaction. Although fathers who attended parenting groups showed the same pattern of adjustment as did fathers who did not participate in the groups, they reported significantly lower feelings of relaxation and health for themselves, and more fussy moods in their babies at each of the three points during the first year. The quality of the marital relationship and attendance at parenting groups were associated with positive over‐all adjustment to the baby at 9–10 months.