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NICU Fathers: Improving the Quality of Paternal Support in the NICU.

Publication ,  Journal Article
LeDuff, LD; Carter, BM; Cunningham, CA; Braun, LA; Gallaher, KJ
Published in: Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses
October 2021

Parental support in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is critical; yet, the nursing staff may struggle to provide optimal support to NICU fathers. Generally, fathers are not viewed as equally competent caregivers when compared with mothers, and fathers often impart these beliefs on themselves. Increasing the nursing staff's knowledge and understanding of paternal support can change attitudes and foster positive behavior changes, enhancing the perception of support received by NICU fathers.To implement a needs assessment and educational intervention for the nursing staff designed to increase the perception of nursing support received by NICU fathers.The Nurse Parents Support Tool (NPST) was administered to the clinical nursing staff and fathers in a pre/posttest design comparing support given by nurses with the fathers' perception of received support. Data from the preintervention assessment was used to design an educational intervention on improving fathers' support. Following the intervention, a postintervention NPST was administered to fathers to determine whether there was an improvement in support perception.Improvement in the NICU fathers' perception of nursing staff support was noted between father groups. In addition, the NPST can be used to assess paternal support needs and develop staff education.Support provided to NICU fathers can enhance the father's perception of himself as an equal and competent caregiver, leading to improved father-infant bonding as the child ages. Educational interventions targeting father support should be a routine part of nursing staff training.Future research should examine the long-term effects of early paternal support on psychosocial, cognitive, and developmental outcomes of NICU infants.

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Published In

Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses

DOI

EISSN

1536-0911

ISSN

1536-0903

Publication Date

October 2021

Volume

21

Issue

5

Start / End Page

387 / 398

Related Subject Headings

  • Pediatrics
  • Object Attachment
  • Mothers
  • Male
  • Intensive Care Units, Neonatal
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Fathers
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
LeDuff, L. D., Carter, B. M., Cunningham, C. A., Braun, L. A., & Gallaher, K. J. (2021). NICU Fathers: Improving the Quality of Paternal Support in the NICU. Advances in Neonatal Care : Official Journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, 21(5), 387–398. https://doi.org/10.1097/anc.0000000000000796
LeDuff, Lawrence D., Brigit M. Carter, Craig A. Cunningham, Lisa A. Braun, and Keith J. Gallaher. “NICU Fathers: Improving the Quality of Paternal Support in the NICU.Advances in Neonatal Care : Official Journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses 21, no. 5 (October 2021): 387–98. https://doi.org/10.1097/anc.0000000000000796.
LeDuff LD, Carter BM, Cunningham CA, Braun LA, Gallaher KJ. NICU Fathers: Improving the Quality of Paternal Support in the NICU. Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. 2021 Oct;21(5):387–98.
LeDuff, Lawrence D., et al. “NICU Fathers: Improving the Quality of Paternal Support in the NICU.Advances in Neonatal Care : Official Journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, vol. 21, no. 5, Oct. 2021, pp. 387–98. Epmc, doi:10.1097/anc.0000000000000796.
LeDuff LD, Carter BM, Cunningham CA, Braun LA, Gallaher KJ. NICU Fathers: Improving the Quality of Paternal Support in the NICU. Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. 2021 Oct;21(5):387–398.

Published In

Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses

DOI

EISSN

1536-0911

ISSN

1536-0903

Publication Date

October 2021

Volume

21

Issue

5

Start / End Page

387 / 398

Related Subject Headings

  • Pediatrics
  • Object Attachment
  • Mothers
  • Male
  • Intensive Care Units, Neonatal
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Fathers