Background: Pregnancy is one of the most important periods of any woman's life, wherein the support of her relatives, especially her spouse, enables her to tolerate the difficulties with good memories. However, in Iran, there are very few studies on the participation of spouses in the perinatal period. Therefore, the present study aimed to explain the concept of spouse participation in perinatal care. Methods: This is a qualitative study that was carried out in 2018 on spouse participation in perinatal care in Qom, Iran. Purposive sampling from pregnant or postpartum women, spouses, midwifery care providers, and key informants was performed according to study inclusion criteria. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out until the data saturation was met. Also, the data analysis was performed based on a conventional content analysis approach according to Graneheim & Lundman steps using MAXQDA software (v.10). Five Guba and Lincoln criteria were applied to ensure the trustworthiness of data. Results: Fifty-three final codes were classified into 18 sub-categories, 7 categories, and 3 themes including empathy (emotional and cognitive understanding), accountability (supporting, position management, compassion), and consequences (help improvement of family function, improvement of maternal-neonatal health). Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, the concept of men's participation in this period has been defined as a set of empathic and responsive behaviors that can lead to improvement of the family function and mother and baby health.

Introduction Pregnancy and childbirth are crucial events in women's lives that can be done well with the support of people around them, especially their husbands. However, a number of factors can reduce or increase the supportive role of spouses during this period. The aim of the present study was to explore the barriers and facilitators of Iranian men's involvement in perinatal care. Materials and methods This was a qualitative phenomenological study that sampling of respondents (pregnant women or the women who have recently given birth (one week to six months after childbirth), spouses, policy makers and midwifery service providers) was done through purposive sampling. The inclusion criteria included: being Iranian, the ability to understand and transfer the concepts into Persian, and employment in a midwifery center for at least one year (for service providers). Data were collected through in-depth interviews until the data saturation. The collected data were analyzed by conventional content analysis based on Graneheim and Lundman method steps. MAXQDA version 10 software was used to manage the data and Guba and Lincoln criteria were also used to ensure the trustworthiness of findings. Results Men's involvement in perinatal care was found to be influenced by certain incentives, particular constraints and some gender authoritarian attitudes. There were 5, 4, and 3 subcategories in incentives, constraints, and gender attitudes respectively. Conclusion The results revealed that men face a dual mechanism in participating in perinatal care, in which some of these factors can facilitate their participation and others can reduce it.

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Introduction: Pregnancy and childbirth are crucial events in women's lives that can be done well with the support of people around them, especially their husbands. However, a number of factors can reduce or increase the supportive role of spouses during this period. The aim of the present study was to explore the barriers and facilitators of Iranian men's involvement in perinatal care.Materials and Methods: This was a qualitative phenomenological study that sampling of respondents (pregnant women or the women who have recently given birth (one week to six months after childbirth), spouses, policy makers and midwifery service providers) was done through purposive sampling. The inclusion criteria included: being Iranian, the ability to understand and transfer the concepts into Persian, and employment in a midwifery center for at least one year (for service providers). Data were collected through in-depth interviews until the data saturation. The collected data were analyzed by conventional content analysis based on Graneheim and Lundman method steps. MAXQDA version 10 software was used to manage the data and Guba and Lincoln criteria were also used to ensure the trustworthiness of findings. Results: Men's involvement in perinatal care was found to be influenced by certain incentives, particular constraints and some gender authoritarian attitudes. There were 5, 4, and 3 subcategories in incentives, constraints, and gender attitudes respectively. Conclusion: The results revealed that men face a dual mechanisms in participating in perinatal care, in which some of these factors can facilitate their participation and others can reduce it.