An Exploration of Paternal Perceptions of Maternal Roles, Parenting Confidence, and Fathers’ Engagement During the Transition to Parenthood

• In Event: Becoming Fathers: Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Neurological Predictors of New Fathers’ Parenting Behavior

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The transition to parenthood is an exciting, yet stressful, turning point during which trajectories of infant outcomes, parent health, and co-parenting dynamics are established (Saxbe et al., 2018; Doss & Rhoades, 2017), including the degree to which fathers engage with their infants. New parents often face an avalanche of messages about what “good” or “successful” parenting entails (i.e., from family, friends, media). In response to this messaging, expectant parents may adopt rigid beliefs about mother’s essential role in infant caregiving, including views that mothers “know best” and should be the primary caregiver (Liss et al., 2013). While beliefs about maternal essentialism have been associated with lower satisfaction and higher stress in mothers (Rizzo et al., 2013), these beliefs have not previously been assessed in fathers. However, new fathers who view their parenting role as less essential may be at unique risk for low levels of confidence and engagement during the transition to parenthood.

METHOD AND RESULTS: The present study examines changes in self-reports maternal essentialism beliefs (IPAQ; Liss et al., 2013) and parenting confidence (KPCS; Črnčec et al., 2008) in a community sample of first-time fathers (n = 66) across the transition to parenthood (3rd trimester to 3 months postpartum). We also hypothesized that higher essentialist beliefs and lower confidence would be associated with less paternal engagement and father engagement (FRPN Engagement Measure; Dyer et al., 2015) at 3 months postpartum.

Bivariate correlations and descriptives are presented in Table 1. Fathers’ essentialist beliefs (t(65) = -3.24, p < .01, 95% CI [-4.61, -1.09]) and confidence (t(65) = -4.87, p < .001, CI [-3.33, -1.39]) increased significantly across the transition to parenthood. Fathers’ prenatal maternal essentialist beliefs were negatively associated with prenatal parenting confidence. Prenatal essentialist beliefs were associated with postpartum parenting confidence in bivariate correlations; however, after controlling for prenatal parenting confidence, this association became non-significant (B = -.02, t(63) = -.27, p = .79). Prenatal essentialist beliefs were not associated with fathers’ engagement with infants at 3-months postpartum. In contrast, father engagement at 3-months postpartum was negatively associated with postpartum essentialist beliefs and positively associated with postpartum parenting confidence.

DISCUSSION: These data provide a preliminary understanding of how fathers’ beliefs about parenting are related to the actual practice of parenting during early infancy. We found evidence that fathers’ parenting confidence and beliefs that the mother is more capable and competent at parenting both changed over the course of the transition to parenthood, but prenatal beliefs did not predict postnatal father engagement with their infants. Although fathers’ confidence increased in the transition to parenthood, their confidence levels were still quite low. Future studies should continue over longer spans of development as infants’ needs shift. It may be that fathers’ confidence and essentialist beliefs change as infants grow older and become less dependent on roles typically filled by mothers, such as breastfeeding. Further research regarding father’s views on maternal essentialism and their confidence in parenting may consider these beliefs in the context of co-parenting relationships.

Authors

• Miriam Zegarac, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

• Anne E Shaffer, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Violeta J Rodriguez, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Dominique Luisa La Barrie, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Geoffrey L. Brown, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author