Don’t forget Dads: Fathers’ Experiences of Neonatal Care.

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Fathers’ Psychological Experiences of Neonatal Care: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study.

• IRAS ID

  335201

• Contact name

  Sarah Pratt

• Contact email

  sarah.pratt@mpft.nhs.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Staffordshire University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 8 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  Summary of Research

  This research aims to understand fathers’ psychological experiences of neonatal care within NHS hospitals in England. The research aims to also understand what meaning fathers’ give to these experiences. There is a lack of research understanding fathers’ experiences, with research predominately focusing on mothers’ experiences alone (Merritt et al, 2021). Research has documented that fathers’ experiences may be different due to the differing parental role they take on (Merritt et al, 2021), therefore it is important to understand fathers’ experiences to be able to provide adequate support. Therefore, the research may be able to inform future service provision for fathers. People who identify themselves as fathers of an infant who has received neonatal care and has been discharged from care at least 4 weeks ago or who is due to be discharged within the next 4 weeks, aged over 18 years old and speak fluent English are eligible to take part in the research. Participants will be recruited via poster advertisements on specified neonatal care units in NHS hospitals in England, poster advertisements on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. The research will also be advertised via professional networks consisting of Clinical Psychologists working across neonatal care units across England. Participants will take part in an online interview lasting approximately 60 minutes. No funding is necessary for the research. Participation will provide valuable insight into how fathers’ experience their infants neonatal care. Participation could potentially influence further guidance into how fathers are supported, and their experiences recognised on NICU’s. We aim to share the research findings with the NHS NICU's in the local area that are named as research sites. By doing this we hope that they are able to use the findings to implement positive change for dads in NICUs.

  Summary of Results

  Fathers' Experiences of Neonatal Care: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study

  Target audience: Who is this summary written for?
  • Parents and families of the Neonatal Care Community • Professionals working within Neonatal Care wanting to understand more about the psychological experiences of fathers during their NICU journey • Members of the public that wish to understand about fathers’ experiences of neonatal care and what it is like for parents on NICUs.
  Fathers who have had an infant stay within a NICU were consulted on the design of this research, particularly in the design of the poster advertising the study and the questions asked during the interview.

  Background to the research: Why was it important to complete this research?
  An infant may require a stay on a NICU for several reasons such as prematurity, or ill-health at full term. Having an infant on a NICU is an often difficult and challenging time for parents. Research has evidenced both mothers and fathers face stress, anxiety and low mood throughout their journey on the NICU (Shaw et al., 2009). However, little is known about how fathers experience their journey through neonatal care with their families. Fathers have different roles as a parent and on the NICU, such as often being the first parent to see their newborn infant on the NICU if their partner is unwell or recovering, with many having to go work, look after the house and other children whilst negotiating a stay on a NICU (Merritt et al., 2021). These differences may mean fathers have different experiences on the NICU. These
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  differences should be understood so fathers can be supported effectively throughout their journey with their infant in neonatal care. It is important to understand fathers’ stories as fathers’ poor mental health can cause poor outcomes in children (McManus & Poehlmann, 2012) and can affect their personal relationships and marriages (Bernardo et al., 2021). Gaining a better understanding of what fathers’ experience in neonatal care will help to improve the support offered to fathers.

  Aim: What did this research hope to do?
  To understand the experiences of fathers in neonatal care in England

  Method: What we did
  Step 1: The research proposal was reviewed by the University Ethics Committee who stated the study was ethical and could go ahead.
  Step 2: A poster advertising the study was placed in an NHS Hospital, on social media platforms e.g. Instagram and emailed to psychologists working within neonatal care in England to share within their teams.
  Step 3: Fathers who wanted to take part, emailed the researcher themselves and then read an information sheet and signed a consent form.
  Step 4: The researcher and father agreed a time to meet. Interviews were recorded over video call. Eight fathers took part in the study.
  Step 5: Interviews were analysed by the researcher using a method called 'Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis'. This is one type of analysis that is useful for understanding people's stories in detail. The researcher spent time understanding what each participant said and the meaning behind what they said. From this, the researcher was able to find themes in

  Results: What we found
  Three main themes were found, with nine smaller sub-themes included.
  The emotional rollercoaster:
  A thunderstorm of emotions, The NICU experience lives on, Grief is multi-faceted: from loss to growth.
  The hidden not heard experience:
  My duty as man, The strain of competing roles, The unique experience of a NICU dad.
  The people around you: help or hinder?:
  Staff make a difference, An extended family, To talk or not to talk?

  Recommendations:
  - Consider support for
  fathers on a case-by-case basis- not all fathers need or want formal talking therapy
  - Offer creative ways of support such as coffee catch- ups with fellow fathers
  - Employing males to offer professional support on NICUs
  - Consider post-NICU support for fathers
  - Include fathers in the care of their infant as much as is medically possible
  - Some fathers may not understand their feelings about their journey- need for validation and space to process their experiences

  Dissemination: How will this research be shared?
  The full research report will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The ‘executive summary’ will be shared with participants who requested it and professionals working within neonatal care.

  You can learn more about this study once it is published in a peer-reviewed journal.
  

• REC name

  North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1

• REC reference

  24/NS/0022

• Date of REC Opinion

  1 Mar 2024

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion