The Transition to Fatherhood: The Level of First-time Fathers' Involvement and Strength of Bonding with Their Infants
Habib, Cherine and Lancaster, Sandra (2005) The Transition to Fatherhood: The Level of First-time Fathers' Involvement and Strength of Bonding with Their Infants. Journal of Family Studies, 11 (2). pp. 249-266. ISSN 1322-9400
Abstract
The aim of this study was to describe the level of involvement and psychological bonding of a sample of Australian first-time fathers with their 6-month-old infants. Involvement was defined in terms of fathers’ engagement, accessibility, and responsibility. Sixty-one men completed a time-diary interview protocol, a responsibility scale, and a postnatal bonding scale. Predictably, fathers were more involved on non-workdays, than workdays but the extent of the difference depended on the type of involvement. Father’s share of the responsibility for their infant was a little less than mother’s share. Similar and contrasting findings with recent local and international large-scale studies are discussed. Paternal involvement and bonding were shown to be different dimensions of fathering, adding to the idea of a multidimensional conceptualisation of fathering. Further research avenues are suggested.
Item type | Article |
URI | https://vuir.vu.edu.au/id/eprint/2763 |
Official URL | http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=13918770... |
Subjects | Historical > Faculty/School/Research Centre/Department > School of Social Sciences and Psychology Historical > FOR Classification > 1702 Cognitive Science |
Keywords | ResPubID10067; fathers and infants relationships, Australian first-time fathers, paternal involvement and bonding |
Citations in Scopus | 10 - View on Scopus |
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