Analyzing the mother and father's parenthood behaviors in the early postpartum period

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the parenting behaviors of mothers and fathers during the postpartum period.MethodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 married individuals who had healthy babies between February 2019-September 2020 at a hospital. This study used introductory information forms for parents, "Postpartum Parenting Behavior Scale (PPBS)" and "Marital Adjustment Scale (MAS)".ResultsMothers had higher PPBS scores than fathers. Higher scores were observed in parents who intentionally had children, married for love, had income exceeding expenses, younger fathers, fewer children, and high MAS scores. Fathers' PPBS scores were lower in cases of cesarean delivery and longer marriage durations. Mothers' scores were unaffected by marital adjustment, number of miscarriages/abortions, age at marriage, number of children, infant sex, family structure, region, residence, social security, employment status, or education level.ConclusionMothers had high PPBS scores, and fathers had moderate scores. Their PPBS scores were affected by their desire to have children, the manner of marriage, and income level. Additionally, that of the fathers was influenced by age, number of children, marital adjustment, and mode of delivery.