The degree of paternal attachment to neonate

Kim, Ji Young

Abstract

This study was conducted to find out the degree of paternal attachment to neonate, and to identify factors affecting paternal attachment. The main purpose was to make the base data for nursing intervention to improve parternal attachment. The subjects of this study were 20 fathers whose partners have delivered premature neonate and 30 fathers whose partners have delivered normal neonate in 3 university hospitals in Seoul. Data were collected from Feb. 10 to Apr. 10 1994 by self report questionaires. The instrument for this study was based on 7 kinds of characteristics of paternal attachment by Greenberg and Morris (1974), and developed by researcher. The statistical methods for data analysis were percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA with S.P.S.S. program. The conclusions are as follows. 1. Fathers had the high degree of paternal attachent to neonate, but were afraid of active touch. 2. The factors that affect paternal attachment were delivery oder, past experience about own father except delivery pattern, pregnancy plan, sex of nonate. 3. There were not significant correlations between paternal attachment and early visual contact frequency of father-neonate. 4. In the degree of paternal attachment, though normal neonate father showed somewhat higher result than premature neonate father, there was not statistically significant difference between two groups(t=-1.83, P=0.076). But in the character of tactail awarness there were significant differences between two groups, hence nursing interventions are needed to help the premature neonate's father bring early tactile contact. Futher research about factors affecting paternal attachment to neonate and high risk neonate as well as low birth weight neonate is reguired.