Background: Fathers are important to infant outcomes. Infants of involved fathers have improved weight gain, sleep, and psychosocial behaviors. Father involvement with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) infants reduces the length of stay. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe involvement, confidence, and beliefs of fathers of infants who were hospitalized in the NICU and discharged home in order to begin to investigate NICU father involvement from a longitudinal perspective. Methods: This exploratory qualitative study was conducted 4 to 5 years after the initial NICU stay using telephone interviews. Fathers who participated in this study were selected from participants of a previous NICU study. Qualitative analysis was conducted using standard procedures for grounded theory. Results: Nineteen fathers participated in the study. The major themes were “It was scary,” “Just be there,” “It was rough,” “It's not about yourself,” “A special bond,” and “Almost a treat.” The fathers reported that the NICU providers, nurses, and staff helped them to overcome uncertainty and lack of knowledge, which helped them improve their confidence and involvement during the NICU stay. Implications for Practice: Fathers see nurses as a source of support. Nurses can encourage fathers to visit regularly and participate in infant care activities. NICU presence aids fathers in developing confidence and knowledge in parenting during their child's infancy, which can set the stage for ongoing involvement. Implications for Research: Future work should continue to focus on longitudinal studies of fathering and the role of the NICU in encouraging involvement and parenting readiness.

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Aim and objective To describe factors associated with father involvement in the neonatal intensive care unit using the Heuristic model of the dynamic of parental behaviour and influence on children over time. Background Research shows that infants with involved fathers have better cognitive development, fewer crying episodes after caesarean birth, improved breastfeeding exclusivity and duration, and more regular sleep patterns. Preterm infants with involved fathers have improved cognitive development. Design This cross‐sectional exploratory study used survey methodology to explore factors associated with father involvement in the neonatal intensive care unit. Methods The STROBE checklist for cross‐sectional studies was used (see Appendix S2). Biological fathers of infants in a 97‐bed neonatal intensive care unit in the southern USA completed a survey which asked about their involvement with their hospitalised infants and factors which affected that involvement. Eighty fathers completed the survey. Results Age ranged between 20–53 with 43% first‐time fathers. Compared to less involved fathers, fathers who were more involved were younger, married or living with the mother, performed kangaroo care or fathers of multiple gestation. Fathers who had attended the delivery were more likely to bathe their infants than those who had not attended the delivery and fathers who performed kangaroo care felt more confident than those who did not. Compared to fathers who visited less often, fathers who visited more often were younger, had infants with a shorter hospitalisation time and lower acuity, and had fewer children in the family. Conclusions Fathers are involved with their neonatal intensive care unit infants in many ways. Factors were identified that affect involvement in the neonatal intensive care unit. Relevance to clinical practice Results can help nurses in neonatal intensive care units worldwide facilitate father–infant interaction, identify fathers at risk for decreased involvement and advocate for institutional policy development for supporting neonatal intensive care unit father involvement.

To explore the experience of fathering a previous Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) infant four years after hospitalization. Design and methods: Nineteen fathers of former NICU infants were interviewed using a semi-structured schedule. Results: Most of the fathers had children with ongoing health issues (84%). The median age of the fathers was 38 years old. Racial demographics included 12 white fathers (63%), 5 black fathers (26%), and 2 Hispanic fathers (11%). Themes that emerged included adjustments, prepared for anything, closeness, ambivalent normalcy, and vigilance. These fathers of former infants with health issues made 'adjustments' in their lives to be available and better fathers for their children. They familiarized themselves with their children's ongoing health issues so they could be better protectors and be 'prepared for anything', but considered their children 'normal kids' while still maintaining 'vigilance' for future health needs. Fathers described that the experience of having an infant with health issues helped them to develop 'closeness' with the child and boosted their confidence as fathers. Conclusion: This involvement/confidence pattern is critically important to establishing and maintaining fathering, especially for fathers of children with disabilities. Practice implications: Pediatric practitioners can continue to encourage this pattern after the initial hospital stay.

Background: Father involvement in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is important for outcomes of children and should be encouraged. Neonatal nurses have been identified as a major source of support for fathers; yet, nurses have identified obstacles to family-centered care of the father. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to present results that broaden the knowledge of factors that affect time NICU nurses spend with fathers. The information presented here is a portion of results from a larger survey that examined factors affecting NICU nurse caring beliefs of fathers. Methods: This survey study included NICU nurses and was administered anonymously online. Content analysis was completed on responses to open-ended questions. Results: Questions asked nurses about the time they spend with fathers. Nurses described problems with workflow and encouraged family bonding. Some nurses described spending equal amounts of time with both parents, whereas others focused on either the mother or the father. Paternal attributes that affected time nurses spent with fathers included confidence, motivation, level of competence, beliefs, attitudes, and availability. Maternal factors included culture and gatekeeping. Infant factors were level of illness and tolerance to activity. Implications for Practice: Unmotivated fathers may benefit from encouragement from nurses to participate in the care of their infants. Nurses can encourage parental partnerships in caring for their infants. Implications for Research: Factors identified in this study can help guide future studies. Understanding the relationship between NICU fathers and nurses can help improve interactions and communication.