A Review of Issues Concerning the Support for Fathers During Pregnancy: Research Trends in Japan

Objective: To identify future issues in the development and implementation of support programs for fathers with the aim of preventing child abuse, we reviewed the domestic literature to determine the characteristics of support for fathers during pregnancy and identify research trends. Methods: The domestic literature was searched on January 31, 2021, using the Central Journal of Medicine ver. 5.0. The search yielded 110 original articles and nursing literature using the keywords “pregnancy & father” and “pregnancy & husband,” wherein 100 articles with abstracts were found, excluding conference proceedings. The abstracts were then checked, and finally, 27 were included in this analysis. Results: In the articles collected, the following themes were extracted: “satisfaction from the experience of child-rearing skills from pregnancy,” “relationship between marital intimacy and relationship to mother and child from pregnancy,” “role adjustment between work and home from pregnancy,” and “vague imagination and anxiety from pregnancy.” Conclusion: During pregnancy, the deepening of the relationship between the mother and father, who is still adjusting to become a father, can affect the quality of the relationship between the mother and the child. Thus, the challenge is to develop support programs that will further strengthen the relationship between the husband and wife.