Understanding the Importance of Fatherhood among Men Living with HIV in Ontario

While pregnancy and motherhood have become paramount clinical issues for women living with HIV, parenting has received less attention among men living with HIV (MLWH). We conducted a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study assessing fertility desires and intentions of MLWH using a 5-point Likert scale based on the question: "Being a father is important to me". Logistic regression models were fit to calculate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) for significant correlates. Of the 276 respondents, 118 were heterosexual, 158 were gay, bisexual, 2-spirit, or queer (GBTQ), 55% had never parented before, and 65% wanted to parent. 191 (69%) respondents agreed that fatherhood was important to them. In unadjusted analyses, heterosexuality (OR 1.52; 95% CI 1.15 to 2.03), African/Caribbean/Black ethnicity (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.12 to 2.19), African/Caribbean birthplace (OR 1.48; 95% CI 1.06 to 2.05), and history of parenting (OR 1.60; 95% CI 1.10 to 2.39) were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with importance of fatherhood. However, none of these variables were significant in adjusted analyses. From the unadjusted model, factors such as sexual orientation, ethnicity, and current parenthood may influence how MLWH value fatherhood, suggesting HIV and fatherhood is complex and must be explored further.

Subjective Well-Being and Parenthood in Chile

Being a parent plays an important role in people's life trajectory and identity. Though the general cultural perception is that having children is a source of subjective well-being, there is evidence that, at least in some societies, the subjective well-being of those who are parents is worse, in some aspects, than that of those who are not. This gap has been the object of interest and controversy. The aim of this study was to compare Chilean adults with and without children in a broad set of well-being indicators, controlling for other sociodemographic variables. A public national probabilistic database was used. The results show that, in terms of positive and negative affect, those who are not parents achieve greater well-being than those who have children. Other results also pointed in that direction. The implications of the social context and gender, which are aspects that pose a burden for the exercise of parenthood in Chile, are discussed.

Plasticity of the paternal brain: Effects of fatherhood on neural structure and function

Care of infants is a hallmark of mammals. Whereas parental care by mothers is obligatory for offspring survival in virtually all mammals, fathers provide care for their offspring in only an estimated 5%-10% of genera. In these species, the transition into fatherhood is often accompanied by pronounced changes in males' behavioral responses to young, including a reduction in aggression toward infants and an increase in nurturant behavior. The onset of fatherhood can also be associated with sensory, affective, and cognitive changes. The neuroplasticity that mediates these changes is not well understood; however, fatherhood can alter the production and survival of new neurons; function and structure of existing neurons; morphology of brain structures; and neuroendocrine signaling systems. Although these changes are thought to promote infant care by fathers, very little evidence exists to support this hypothesis; in most cases, neither the mechanisms underlying neuroplasticity in fathers nor its functional significance is known. In this paper, we review the available data on the neuroplasticity that occurs during the transition into fatherhood. We highlight gaps in our knowledge and future directions that will provide key insights into how and why fatherhood alters the structure and functioning of the male brain.

Parenthood among men diagnosed with cancer in childhood and early adulthood: trends over time in a Danish national cohort

STUDY QUESTION

Is the rate of fatherhood among men diagnosed with cancer in childhood and early adulthood different from men without cancer, and, if so, have the differences changed over time?

SUMMARY ANSWER

Men diagnosed with cancer have had significantly reduced rates of fatherhood compared with undiagnosed men; however, the rates of fatherhood among the cancer survivors have increased markedly over time.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

The number of children and young adolescents who survive cancer has steadily increased over recent decades, with a current 5-year survival rate of approximately 80%. Consequently, life circumstances after cancer have gained increasing importance, including the desire among survivors to have children and a family. ARTs to aid reproduction among cancer survivors have been developed, and fertility preservation is increasingly a topic being discussed before undergoing cancer treatment. But the potential for fertility preservation differs dependent on age at diagnosis and type of cancer. Earlier studies have shown a decreased fertility rate among survivors of child and adolescent cancer compared to those diagnosed in early adulthood.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

This study is a national, register-based cohort study. Men diagnosed with cancer in childhood and early adulthood (<30 years of age) were registered in the Danish Cancer Register in 1978-2016 (n = 9353). According to the time of diagnosis, each cancer-diagnosed man was randomly matched with 150 undiagnosed men from the background population within the same birth year. The men were followed until having their first child, death, migration or the end of the study (31 December 2017) in medical registers and socio-demographic population registers.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

Fatherhood among the boys and young men diagnosed with cancer were compared with the age-matched comparison group in all statistical analyses. Cancer diagnoses were categorised as central nervous system (CNS) cancers, haematological cancers or solid cancers. Analyses were stratified by age at diagnosis (0-9, 10-19, 20-29 years) and time of diagnosis (1978-1989, 1990-1999, 2000-2009, 2010-2016). Death was incorporated as a competing risk in all analyses.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

The study population consisted of 9353 boys and young men diagnosed with cancer between 1978 and 2016 and 1 386 493 men in the age-matched comparison group. Those surviving CNS cancer as young men had the lowest hazard ratio (HR) of fatherhood compared with the age-matched comparison group (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.57-0.79), followed by survivors of haematological cancers (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.81-1.01), while the highest chance of fatherhood was among survivors of solid cancers (HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.12-1.20) with a slightly increased HR compared with undiagnosed males. The HR of becoming a father increased over time. From the first decade to the last decade 30 years later, the HR of becoming a father increased for solid tumours (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.73-0.83 to HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.95-1.22), haematological cancers (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.53-0.79 to HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.73-1.30) and CNS cancers (HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.34-0.57 to HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.49-1.95) compared to the age-matched comparison group. Also, when compared with the age-matched comparison group, men diagnosed with cancer when aged 20-29 years were more likely became fathers over the time of the study (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.74-0.86 to HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.96-1.22).

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

The study was based on register data, and information was not available about the men's fertility potential, whether they had a desire to have children and whether it was possible for them to find a partner. Information about fertility preservation, e.g. sperm freezing, could also have provided additional insights. Furthermore, information about diagnosis and ART treatment would have been beneficial.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

Information and education of male patients diagnosed with cancer about fertility preservation options and their chances to create their own family is crucial. Reassuringly, time trends showed more men with a previous cancer diagnosis becoming fathers in recent years than in earlier years, reflecting that survival and fertility preservation have improved over time.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

R.S. received a PhD grant from the Rosa Ebba Hansen Foundation and from the Health Foundation (J.nr. 15-B-0095). The funding for the establishment of the DANAC II Cohort was obtained from the Rosa Ebba Hansen Foundation. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

N/A.

Coming Home to One's Self: Butch Muslim Masculinities and Negotiations of Piety, Sex, and Parenthood in Singapore

In Singapore, discrimination toward LGBT citizens has been reinforced through a monolithic notion of the traditional Asian family. This ethnography focuses on the lived experiences of 7 ethnic minority Malay Muslim "butch" individuals and their journey to parenthood. Drawing upon frameworks of intersectionality and piety, I explore how butches negotiate and reconcile their queer practices and desires as Muslim daughters around "coming out," foster children with same-sex partners, being a biological parent and their perceptions of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Reproductive futures, enacted by Malay Muslim butches, disrupt yet reinforce the durability of "natural" life trajectories scripted through conventions of marriage, family and fatherhood that have, insofar, excluded them. Further, their experiences also offer alternatives to existing literature on same-sex families that tend to render other nonwhite and/or non-Western queer family practices invisible.

Testicular function in males with infantile nephropathic cystinosis

STUDY QUESTION

Do males with the rare lysosomal storage disease infantile nephropathic cystinosis (INC) have a chance of biological fatherhood?

SUMMARY ANSWER

Cryostorage of semen could be an option for approximately 20% of young males with INC, with surgical sperm retrieval from the centre of the testes providing additional opportunities for fatherhood.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Biallelic mutations in the cystinosin (CTNS) gene in INC cause dysfunction in cystine transport across lysosomal membranes and cystine accumulation throughout the body. Spontaneous paternity in cystinosis has not been described, despite the availability of cysteamine treatment. Azoospermia has been diagnosed in small case series of males with INC. ART using ICSI requires few spermatozoa, either from semen or extracted surgically from the testes of azoospermic men. However, there is limited evidence to suggest this could be successful in INC.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

In this prospective cohort study performed between 2018 and 2019, we performed a cross-sectional investigation of 18 male patients with INC to delineate endocrine and spermatogenic testicular function.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

Serum hormone levels, semen samples (according to World Health Organization 2010 standards), and testicular ultrasound images were analysed in 18 male patients aged 15.4–40.5 years. Surgical sperm extraction was performed in two, and their testicular biopsies were investigated by light and electron microscopy. Past adherence to cysteamine treatment was assessed from medical record information, using a composite scoring system.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

Adherence to cysteamine treatment was high in most patients. Testicular volumes and testosterone levels were in the normal ranges, with the exception of two and three older patients, respectively. Serum LH levels were above the normal range in all subjects aged ≥20 years. FSH levels were elevated in all but four males: three with spermatozoa in semen and one adolescent. Inhibin B levels were shown to be lower in older men. Testicular ultrasound revealed signs of obstruction in 67% of patients. Reduced fructose and zinc seminal markers were found in 33%, including two patients with azoospermia who underwent successful surgical sperm retrieval. Histology identified fully preserved spermatogenesis in the centre of their testes, but also tubular atrophy and lysosomal overload in Sertoli and Leydig cells of the testicular periphery.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

Limitations of this study are the small number of assessed patients and the heterogeneity of their dysfunction in cystine transport across lysosomal membranes.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

This study suggests that testicular degeneration in cystinosis results from the lysosomal overload of Sertoli and Leydig cells of the testicular periphery, and that this can possibly be delayed, but not prevented, by good adherence to cysteamine treatment. Endocrine testicular function in INC may remain compensated until the fourth decade of life; however, azoospermia may occur during adolescence. Cryostorage of semen could be an option for approximately 20% of young males with INC, with surgical sperm retrieval providing additional opportunities for biological fatherhood.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

This work was supported by the Cystinosis Foundation Germany. The authors have no competing interests to declare.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

n/a.

Adolescent Fathers' Perceptions and Experiences of Fatherhood: A Qualitative Exploration with Hispanic Adolescent Fathers

PURPOSE

The purpose of this secondary analysis of qualitative data was to understand the multifactorial influences that impact the health and health behaviors of Hispanic adolescent fathers DESIGN & METHODS: Qualitative description was the method used for this secondary analysis. The theoretical domains of the Vulnerable Populations Conceptual Framework were used to guide this study. The semi-structured interviews of 17 participants were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Participants were Hispanic adolescent fathers, between the ages of 16 and 23 years, who were attending a fatherhood program.

RESULTS

Most participants came from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and unstable families. Additionally, their exposure to widespread neighborhood and domestic violence resulted in gang involvement and illegal activities. The cumulative impact of adverse childhood events resulted in substance use and psychological distress. However, becoming a father was transformative, motivating adolescents to stop engaging in destructive, unhealthy behaviors.

CONCLUSION

Adolescent fathers' well-being is an important component of perinatal health because it affects family functioning and health outcomes in their children. The perinatal period presents a "golden" opportunity to promote health and should be leveraged by nurses to allow adolescent fathers to become involved during the perinatal period.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

A family-centered approach is critical in addressing the complex needs of this population. An assessment of their psychosocial environment, including childhood trauma, is necessary to help nurses identify at-risk fathers. Additionally, trauma informed care is a valuable tool that nurses can utilize to foster trust in Hispanic adolescent fathers.

Theory of mind processing in expectant fathers: Associations with prenatal oxytocin and parental attunement

Social cognition may facilitate fathers' sensitive caregiving behavior. We administered the Why-How Task, an fMRI task that elicits theory of mind processing, to expectant fathers (n = 39) who also visited the laboratory during their partner's pregnancy and provided a plasma sample for oxytocin assay. Three months postpartum, fathers reported their beliefs about parenting. When rating "Why" an action was being performed versus "How" the action was being performed (Why > How contrast), participants showed activation in regions theorized to support theory of mind, including the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and superior temporal sulcus. Fathers' prenatal oxytocin levels predicted greater signal change during the Why > How contrast in the inferior parietal lobule. Both prenatal oxytocin and attunement parenting beliefs were associated with Why > How activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a theory of mind region implicated in emotion regulation. Posterior parahippocampal gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation during the Why > How contrast predicted fathers' attunement parenting beliefs. In conclusion, fathers' neural activation when engaging in a theory of mind task was associated with their prenatal oxytocin levels and their postpartum attunement parenting beliefs. Results suggest biological and cognitive components of fathering may track with the theory of mind processing.

A systematic review of human paternal oxytocin: Insights into the methodology and what we know so far

With the consolidation of fathers' engagement in caregiving, understanding the neuroendocrine and hormonal mechanisms underlying fatherhood becomes a relevant topic. Oxytocin (OT) has been linked with maternal bonding and caregiving, but less is known about the role of OT in human fatherhood and paternal caregiving. A systematic review of methods and findings of previous OT research in human fathers was carried. The literature search on PubMed and Scopus yielded 133 records. Twenty-four studies were included and analyzed. Significant variability emerged in OT methodology, including laboratory tasks, assessment methods, and outcome measures. Fathers' OT levels appear to increase after childbirth. OT was significantly correlated with less hostility and with the quality of paternal physical stimulation in play interactions, but not with paternal sensitivity. Fathers' and children's OT levels were significantly correlated in a limited subset of studies, intriguingly suggesting that cross-generational OT regulation may occur during the early years of life. This study highlights relevant issues and limitations of peripheral OT assessment in human subjects, especially in fathers. Although the study of paternal neuroendocrinology appears promising, coping with these issues requires dedicated efforts and methodological suggestions are provided to guide future advances in this field.

Evaluating the Relationship Between Adolescent Fatherhood and Routine Health Care in a Nationally Representative Sample: A Descriptive, Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION

This study evaluates whether fatherhood status is associated with receipt of preventive care (i.e., a routine physical) among adolescent males and whether attending their child's appointments is associated with greater odds of preventive care.

METHOD

This study is a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data collected from the 2011-2017 National Survey of Family Growth. The sample consisted of 3,831 males aged 15-21 years. Logistic regression models were constructed to assess the odds of having a routine physical in the previous year.

RESULTS

Adolescent fatherhood (adjusted odds ratio = 0.56, 95% confidence interval = [0.32, 0.99]) was associated with reduced odds of having a routine physical in the previous year. Attending a child's appointment was not associated with having a routine physical in the previous year (adjusted odds ratio = 0.18, 95% confidence interval = [0.01, 2.31]).

DISCUSSION

Having a child is associated with foregoing routine physical care in the previous 12 months. Elucidating barriers may inform interventions to increase the uptake of preventive care for adolescent fathers.

[Supporting access to fatherhood]

The social prescription of fatherhood for the modern father, with its array of new rights and the absence of ritual, often overlooks the profound identity crisis that accompanies fatherhood. Access to fatherhood for men is based on the early stages of child sexuality and psychological bisexuality, which are at the origin of a vulnerability that can be at psychopathological risk. The necessary reconciliation with parental imagos and narcissistic rearrangements may require specialised support, beyond the support role currently reserved for it in the context of motherhood.

Intimate Partner Violence Among Low-Income Fathers: Testing a Stress-Coping Model

This research used a stress-coping conceptual framework to examine intimate partner violence (IPV) among men who are fathers. The current study examined how perceived stress explained associations between stressors (e.g., employment status, psychological and physical female-to-male partner violence [FMPV], substance use, criminal justice system involvement) and male-perpetrated physical and psychological IPV. Participants were 1,971 low-income, ethnically diverse fathers involved in a statewide fatherhood program. Findings indicated that, across African American, White, and Hispanic/Latino men, male-reported FMPV and criminal justice involvement were associated with psychological and/or physical IPV via perceived stress. Employment status and alcohol use were associated with psychological IPV via perceived stress among African American men only. Implications for community-based fatherhood programs are discussed.

Breastfeeding Communities for Fatherhood: Laying the Groundwork for the Black Fatherhood, Brotherhood, and Manhood Movement

The role fathers play in the lives of their children is, as any behavior, dependent on their knowledge of factors influencing the health and safety of children and the societal context in which those fathers live, work, and worship. In the context of maternal and child health, the role of supportive partners of the mother dramatically strengthens the ability of the mother to set and achieve appropriate early life goals for their child, including wise nutritional choices and infant safety. Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere (ROBE) developed in 2014 as an independently integrated program of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, Inc. (ROSE), with the mission of educating, equipping, and empowering men to assist in the ROSE effort of increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration rates, primarily in the Black community, by educating men of the numerous health, nutritional, social, and economic benefits of breastfeeding. Similarly, through education about the national Safe Sleep campaign, ROBE hopes to assist in the mitigation of infant mortality rates. Then, this article seeks to elucidate the modern Black Fatherhood Movement, in which ROBE observes and interacts, and to lay out axioms from the natural and social sciences that will allow us to achieve strengthened American family structures through transformative change, using the medium of Fatherhood work.

[Accessing parenthood in a transgender context]

Becoming a father is a process that covers different situations. In addition to the well-known situations of traditional conception and sperm donation, there are others that need to be considered. These situations concern in particular access to parenthood for transgender men who have made a social transition.

Associations of Partnership Quality and Father-to-Child Attachment During the Peripartum Period. A Prospective-Longitudinal Study in Expectant Fathers

Background: During the transition to parenthood, a complex network of relationships unfolds between father, mother and the child. Expectant parents begin bonding with their unborn child, with this antenatal process supposedly being predictive for later postnatal attachment and child mental health. At the same time, couples may experience a change in partnership quality. While the majority of previous studies focused on associations between psychopathology, partnership quality and attachment from the perspective of mothers, the changes in partnership quality and attachment from the perspective of fathers has gained far less attention. Methods: Data were derived from the Maternal Anxiety and it's Relation to Infants' Development (MARI) study. N = 109 expectant fathers were recruited during mid-pregnancy (22 to 26 week of gestation). Lifetime anxiety and depressive disorders (DSM-IV) were assessed with a standardized diagnostic interview (CIDI). Paternal partnership characteristics and father-to-child attachments were assessed using standardized questionnaires at the second trimester, 10 days after delivery and 4 months after delivery in N = 76 fathers. Analyses were based on bivariate, robust and multivariate regression analyses. Results: Fathers did not report an overall decrease in partnership quality during the peripartum period. However, fathers with comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders reported lower partnership satisfaction at postpartum, as compared to unaffected fathers. Fathers with pure depressive disorders reported lower intensity of antenatal attachment. Paternal antenatal partnership quality was positively associated with antenatal father-to-child attachment. Furthermore, antenatal father-to-child attachment, as well as ante- and postnatal partnership quality in fathers, were positively related to postnatal father-to-child attachment. Conclusions: Antenatal father-to-child-attachment and paternal partnership quality appear to be promising targets for the prevention of postnatal attachment problems in fathers. The associations between partnership quality and attachment to the child further support an interpersonal approach in perinatal research, treatment and intervention, and may also feed into awareness programs that encourage expectant fathers to actively engage in relationships as early as during pregnancy-both with the mother and the unborn child.

Corrigendum: Associations of Partnership Quality and Father-to-Child Attachment During the Peripartum Period. A Prospective-Longitudinal Study in Expectant Fathers

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.572755.].

Racial/Ethnic Differences in 30-Year Trajectories of Cannabis Use among Males

Background: Given that cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance in the US, continuous research on patterns of cannabis use over the life course can help to ensure progress towards improving public health and reducing health inequalities across race/ethnicity. Thus, we examine racial/ethnic differences in cannabis use trajectories among males across two overlapping stages of the life course. Methods: We use data from two companion studies, the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS - a longitudinal cohort study that followed participants from adolescence into adulthood), and its intergenerational extension - the Rochester Intergenerational Study. For Life Stage 1, we consider cannabis use during the transition from adolescence to adulthood (spanning ages 13 to 33; 439 Black, 128 White, and 125 Hispanic males). Among these males who became fathers, we consider cannabis use during fatherhood (Life Stage 2 -spanning the period of time when their firstborn child was between the ages of 7 and 17-217 Black, 55 White, and 56 Hispanic males). Ordinal generalized estimating equations were specified to examine cannabis use trajectories during both stages of the males' lives. Results: No significant differences in cannabis use as a function of racial/ethnic group were found during the transition from adolescence to adulthood (Life Stage 1). All groups had a peak of cannabis use in the early to mid-20's followed by a decline in use. During fatherhood (Life Stage 2), cannabis use was stable for all groups, but Black fathers reported more frequent cannabis use on average than Hispanic fathers. Conclusions: The increase in cannabis use well past adolescence for all groups suggests the potential importance of intervention initiatives during the transition to adulthood. The more frequent use of cannabis by Black fathers warrants further study given the impact parental cannabis use can have on offspring.

Young Hispanic fathers during COVID-19: Balancing parenthood, finding strength, and maintaining hope

OBJECTIVES

This study examined how the effects of the COVID-19 crisis has impacted young Hispanic fathers.

DESIGN/SAMPLE

Using qualitative description, in-depth interviews were conducted among Hispanic fathers between the ages of 18 and 24 years, from community-based fatherhood program. The interviews of seven young Hispanic fathers were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

The participants' initial and ongoing fears about COVID-19 resulted from not having adequate information about the severity of the disease and how easily one can contract and transmit it to others. They also expressed concerns about the threat of the pandemic on their family's well-being, finances, and employment status. Providing for their families was their main priority, with some continuing to work, despite the risks of becoming infected with COVID-19. Despite their many hardships, fathers found strength in their families and remained hopeful in overcoming the challenges during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

The pandemic has presented difficulties and loss for many. Nurses in the community are well positioned to serve young Hispanic fathers to ensure their needs are met. A family-centered approach is ideal for young fathers to provide them equal opportunity to be actively involved in promoting health for themselves and their families during the pandemic.

Screening for Early Signs of Paternal Perinatal Affective Disorder in Expectant Fathers: A Cluster Analysis Approach

Previous studies documented gender-related differences in the expression of Perinatal Affective Disorders. However, little attention has been paid to screening the male population during the perinatal period. This study was based on three aims: (1) to investigate the mental health of expectant fathers based on their levels of depression, anxiety, addiction, anger attacks/hostility, and somatization, identifying psychological profiles; (2) to analyze the association between these profiles and the individual variable of perceived stress; (3) and to examine the association between these profiles and the couple’s variable of marital adjustment. A total of 350 Italian expectant fathers in the last trimester of pregnancy were asked to fill in questionnaires concerning perceived stress, dyadic adjustment, psychiatric symptomatology, and depression. Three different clusters were found: “psychologically healthy men” (68%) with low levels of symptoms on all the scales; “men at risk of externalized behavioral problems” (17.1%), characterized by one or more addictive or risky behaviors and moderate levels of scales scores; and “men experiencing psychological distress” (14.9%), with the highest scores on all the scales. A significant association emerged among the perceived stress, marital adjustment, and cluster membership. These results highlight the importance of screening fathers in perinatal health services, which are still predominantly mother-centered, and underscore the necessity to create tailored and personalized interventions.

The postnatal testosterone rebound in first-time fathers and the quality and quantity of paternal care

In human males, testosterone (T) decreases in the period following the birth of offspring. This decline has been widely interpreted as a facultative neuroendocrine response that facilitates parenting effort. Conversely, research on if (or when) this decline in T would be followed by an eventual recovery and subsequent shift away from parenting effort is lacking. In a U.S. community sample of 225 males transitioning to first-time fatherhood, we measured T at three occasions: third trimester, infant 3 months postnatal, and infant 9-10 months postnatal. Using a piecewise latent growth curve model (GCM), we detected a T rebound from when infants were 3 months old to when infants were 9-10 months old. The slope of this rebound was able to predict paternal care using two distinct measures: (a) an experience sampling method (ESM) that gathered data on paternal time allocation over the course of the study period and (b) independent coders rating fathers for the quality of paternal care during a structured task designed to elicit an infant fear response. As predicted, the more accelerated one's T rebound (slope), the less time fathers invested in their infants across the study period. However, we found a positive relationship between T rebound and quality of paternal care during a challenging activity. Discussion will focus on nuanced reasons that contribute to these findings as well as speculate on the ultimate function of a human paternal T rebound.

The Paternal Transition Entails Neuroanatomic Adaptations that are Associated with the Father's Brain Response to his Infant Cues

The transition into fatherhood is a life-changing event that requires substantial psychological adaptations. In families that include a father figure, sensitive paternal behavior has been shown to positively impact the infant’s development. Yet, studies exploring the neuroanatomic adaptations of men in their transition into fatherhood are scarce. The present study used surface-based methods to reanalyze a previously published prospective magnetic resonance imaging dataset comprised of 20 first-time fathers (preconception-to-postpartum) and 17 childless men. We tested if the transition into fatherhood entailed changes in cortical volume, thickness, and area and whether these changes were related to 2 indicators of paternal experience. Specifically, we tested if such changes were associated with (1) the baby’s age and/or (2) the fathers’ brain activity in response to pictures of their babies compared with an unknown baby. Results indicated that first-time fathers exhibited a significant reduction in cortical volume and thickness of the precuneus. Moreover, higher volume reduction and cortical thinning were associated with stronger brain responses to pictures of their own baby in parental brain regions. This is the first study showing preconception-to-postpartum neuroanatomical adaptations in first-time fathers associated with the father’s brain response to cues of his infant.

Fatherhood and Smoking Problems in Indonesia: Exploration of Potential Protective Factors for Men Aged 18-49 Years from the United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence

Background: Despite the sustained high prevalence of smoking among Indonesian adult men, little is known about possible protective factors in this group. This study examined the relationship between key characteristics of masculinity (e.g., fatherhood status, being the main breadwinner or sole provider for the family) and current smoking behaviours (smoking status and cigarettes smoked per day (CPD)) among Indonesian men aged 18–49 years. Methods: In total, 2540 Indonesian men aged 18–49 participated in the United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence, 2012. Fatherhood status was categorised into three groups: nonfathers, new fathers and more experienced fathers. The association between fatherhood status and current smoking, as well as fatherhood status and cigarettes smoked per day (CPD), was estimated by employing logistic and zero-inflated negative binomial regressions, respectively. Results: Socioeconomic factors were associated with smoking behaviour among Indonesian adult men. The odds of smoking among new fathers and more experienced fathers were 2.3 (95% CI: 1.09–4.79) and 1.5 times (95% CI: 1.08–2.17) higher compared with nonfathers, respectively. Men who had a shared income with their partner or received income from their parents smoked 13% (95% CI 0.79–0.95) and 11% fewer CPD (95% CI 0.79–0.99) compared with men who were the main breadwinner, respectively. Conclusions: In this study, fatherhood represents an aspect of traditionally masculine roles, offering a new perspective for looking at smoking problems in Indonesia. Other key aspects of traditional masculinity characteristics, the breadwinner role, occupation and sources of family income had significant associations with smoking status and CPD. Men smoked fewer CPD as fathers and when sharing the financial responsibility for their family equally with their spouse.

First-Time Fathers' Attitudes Towards, and Experiences With, Parenting Courses in Denmark

Several studies report that men, just like women, go through a complex emotional upheaval when they are about to become parents and that men need support to be able to tackle parenthood in the best way possible. This qualitative study addresses the extent to which parenting courses attended by both the mother and the father constitute an appealing institutional service for first-time fathers and whether they find them useful in tackling the challenges they face during the pregnancy and after the birth. The article explores difficulties with recruiting fathers to such courses and ensuring their continued attendance since men's masculinity dilemmas can affect the extent to which they are willing to seek help and to complete such courses. The findings indicated that fathers' sense of responsibility and awareness of their role as a father in their child's life was strengthened, and overall, they were satisfied both with the topics addressed during the course and with the teaching. Strong networks were formed among some of the parents at the parenting course. Caution is called for when drawing general conclusions about the benefits of such courses for first-time parents, as they are seldom attended by parents with minority ethnic backgrounds or by vulnerable and underprivileged parents.

Long-Term Effects of Fatherhood on Morphology, Energetics, and Exercise Performance in California Mice (Peromyscus californicus)

In male mammals that provide care for their offspring, fatherhood can lead to changes in behavioral, morphological, and physiological traits, some of which might constitute trade-offs. However, relatively little is known about these changes, especially across multiple reproductive bouts, which are expected to magnify differences between fathers and nonreproductive males. We evaluated consequences of fatherhood in the monogamous, biparental California mouse (Peromsycus californicus) across seven consecutive reproductive bouts. We compared breeding adult males (housed with sham-ovariectomized females) with two control groups: nonbreeding males (housed with ovariectomized females treated with estrogen and progesterone to induce estrous behavior) and virgin males (housed with untreated ovariectomized females). At five time points (before pairing, early postpartum of the first litter, late postpartum of the second litter, early postpartum of the sixth litter, and late postpartum of the seventh litter or comparable time points for nonbreeding and virgin males), we measured males' body composition, hematocrit, predatory aggression, resting metabolic rate, maximal oxygen consumption (V˙O2 max⁡), grip strength, and sprint speed. We also weighed organs at the final time point. We predicted that fathers would have lower relative body fat and lower performance abilities compared with control groups and that these effects would become more pronounced with increasing parity. Contrary to predictions, breeding and control males differed in surprisingly few measures, and the number and magnitude of differences did not increase with parity. Thus, our expectations regarding trade-offs were not met. As reported in studies of single reproductive events, these results suggest that fatherhood has few costs in this species when housed under standard laboratory conditions, even across multiple reproductive bouts.

Breaking the cycle of intergenerational abuse: A qualitative interview study of men participating in a perinatal program to reduce violence

Domestic violence and abuse in the perinatal period leads to long-term adverse outcomes for infants, including a greater risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of violence in adulthood. Examining men's beliefs about fatherhood and violence, and their motivations for engaging in programs to reduce violence, is essential to understand how interventions can impact on behavior and break intergenerational cycles of abuse. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of becoming a father in a sample of men who are taking part in a whole-family perinatal program to reduce violence-For Baby's Sake. Ten men who had engaged with For Baby's Sake were interviewed about their experiences and beliefs around fatherhood. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes were identified: making sense of violent behavior, conceptions of fatherhood, an emotional transition, and breaking the cycle. The data provide a unique insight into men's beliefs and behaviors at this transition point in their lives. This can aid the development of interventions aimed at breaking the cycle of abuse, indicating ways to harness the motivation for a new start and support men to overcome unhelpful behavior patterns.