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Background: Even though the development of an emotional bond to the child involves both parents, studies on the development of paternal bonding and the influencing factors are scarce. This pilot study examines the quality of paternal postnatal bonding in association with paternal depressive and anxiety symptoms before and after birth. Methods: Expecting parents (n = 81) were recruited from maternity services in Frankfurt, Germany. At recruitment and 3 months postpartum (pp) mothers and fathers completed an interview including sociodemographic and pregnancy data. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were screened using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. At 3-month pp, fathers also completed the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire for the assessment of bonding difficulties. A total of 63 couples, from whom data were available for both time points, were included in the final study group. Results: Depressive and anxiety symptoms before birth are the best predictors for the quality of paternal bonding pp (Total score R2.402 p =.001; Impaired bonding R2.299 p =.019; Rejection and Anger R2.353 p =.005; Anxiety about care R2.457 p =.000). Maternal depression and sociodemographic variables were not significantly associated. Limitations: High selected small study group. Conclusions: Paternal depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy are highly predictive for the quality of bonding as well as for the presence of depressive and anxiety symptoms 3 month pp. It is necessary to identify these symptoms as soon as possible in order to prevent later negative impacts on parental mental health and on child developmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the role of music and singing in fostering transformative caring relationships between fathers and their children. It aims to understand how these interactions contribute to fatherhood identity and relational dynamics, filling a significant gap in research on musical fatherhood. Employing a phenomenological‐hermeneutic approach, the study conducted open‐ended interviews with eight fathers, analysing data through the lens of Paul Ricoeur's theory of interpretation. Findings reveal that musical activities enable fathers to engage intuitively and responsively with their children, facilitating a pre‐verbal form of communication that deepens emotional bonds and enhances paternal identity. Music and singing emerge as powerful tools that transcend traditional parenting roles, allowing fathers to experience and express a potentiated sense of fatherhood marked by empathy, connection and care. This study highlights the profound impact of musical engagement on father–child relationships and suggests broader implications for emotional intelligence and gender roles in parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review proposes a new concept, the 'Paternal body', to illuminate the corporeal impact, on employed men, of new fatherhood. It explores literatures on fatherhood, employment and health to reveal how fathers experience pregnancy, birth and infant‐care (infancy defined, here, as up to age two). In contrast to well‐established notions regarding Maternal (pregnant and post‐birth) bodies, there exists within management studies no similar concept to facilitate understanding of recent fatherhood, the body and employment. The proposed concept 'Paternal body' addresses this lack, offering a strategic platform for theorizing how fatherhood impacts men's lived, bodily experience of balancing paternity with paid work. Drawing upon interdisciplinary perspectives from sociology and health literatures, the paper reviews research on paternal corporeality in the context of employment in neo‐liberal (market‐oriented) economies (typified by the USA and UK). It identifies related and important health symptoms (such as sleep deprivation) that pose risks to paternal health and employment. Yet the review shows how expectant/recent fathers are pressured, at work, to live up to a mythical image of hegemonic masculinity that requires them to display strong work‐orientation, denying ill‐health and working long hours away from home. The paper coins the term: 'Absent warrior' to represent this illusion of a 'manly' father (warrior) who is absent from infant‐care and from his home, but bodily present at work: a father who is supposed to deny the materiality of inhabiting a Paternal body. Recommendations are made for further exploration of fathers' embodied health needs through the concept of the lived 'Paternal body'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given their often-vulnerable circumstances, young fathers' childcare involvement is precarious. Despite the potential benefits of receiving professional support, young fathers experience exclusion or suboptimal support in maternity care. Insights into maternity care providers' attitudes toward young fathers and their perspectives on the support they provide to this group are, however, lacking. Such insights could be helpful to better align support with young fathers' needs. The study objectives were to examine maternity care providers' attitudes toward young fathers and their perspectives on the support they provide to them, assess relationships between the two and investigate differences between and within occupational groups. An online survey study was conducted with 183 Dutch midwives and maternity nurses. Maternity care providers reported positive attitudes and high levels of support. They indicated that they provide mainly affirmative support, followed by emotional, informational, and instrumental support. All forms of support correlated significantly with positive attitudes. Maternity nurses had higher positive attitude and support scores than did midwives, with the largest difference observed for instrumental support. Maternity care providers reported positive attitudes and high levels of support provided to young fathers, which stands in contrast with the father's experience of support. This difference suggests that having positive attitudes and the intention to deliver high levels of support are not by definition sufficient to meet young fathers' support needs. Attention should also be paid to the forms and manners of support provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]