First-time fathers describe their experiences of separation and helplessness

Ante-natal classes only serve to increase fathers' feelings of separation from their pregnant partners, according to a series of in-depth interviews with ten White British fathers.Anja Wittkowski and her colleagues interviewed the men to help increase our understanding of what it's like for men to become a father for the first time - a neglected area of research. All the participants, aged 27 to 47, were married to their partners, they were middle-class, employed, and the pregnancies were all planned. The men were interviewed when their babies were aged between 7 and 12 months, and all said they were motivated to be hands-on fathers.Using a process known as "interpretative phenomenological analysis", the researchers extracted key themes from the interview transcripts and observational notes and wove them together with existing theory. Although the men weren't asked directly about their partner's pregnancy, all of them spoke about their experiences during this time. A key recurring theme was feelings of separation, from familiar social lives, but also from their partners and the pregnancy."I feel that it has to feel different with the mum as they are carrying the baby and feeling it move and grow inside, that must mean that the emotional attachment that must build must be extraordinary and I don't think that any bloke could ever understand that," said participant Bob. Ante-natal classes, where the men were recruited, only served to deepen these feelings of separation, the...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Source Type: blogs