The impact of paternal attachment training skills on the extent of maternal neonatal attachment in primiparous women: a clinical trial

Background
Women in some social groups of the population may be less supported by their partners and may be more reliant on their employees.

Objectives
This study was designed to investigate the impact of paternal-attachment training skills on the extent of maternal neonatal attachment in primiparous women referred to the hospitals affiliated with the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.

Material and methods
A randomized controlled trial was done in hospitals affiliated with the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences from October 2012 to September 2013. The present clinical trial was conducted on 150 husbands of qualified pregnant women. The intervention group took part in 90-minute sessions of maternal-fetal attachment training held once a week. On the other hand, the control group received routine pregnancy care. Both groups filled out Avant’s checklist after the intervention to determine maternal-neonatal attachment. The data was then analyzed in SPSS using the independent t-test, chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. A rating of p < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results
The median score in the total maternal-neonatal attachment group was [84; IQR,70–103], and in the control group it was [66; IQR, 49–86; p < 0.001]. The Mann–Whitney U test showed a significant difference between the median of the groups. In the five aspects of the checklist, Avant included dimensions such as mothers’ emotional behavior, maternal-infant proximity behavior, maternal-infant caring behavior and maternal-infant attention. The relationship between the attachment and control groups was significant (p < 0.001).

Conclusions
Paternal attachment behavior training skills increased the score of maternal-neonatal attachment. Thus, there is a need to educate fathers on prenatal care.