A qualitative exploration of the firstborn's influence on the father's sense of self and the marital relationship within the first two years

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the firstborn's influence on the father's sense of self and the marital relationship within the first two years, while gaining a thorough understanding of how married first-time fathers experience the transition to fatherhood and exploring any changes the birth of a first child might bring about within the married couple. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were carried out with six married first-time fathers aged between 28 and 39 years old. Following data collection, data was then analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), from which three superordinate themes emerged; “Men's Emotional Responses to the Pregnancy Confirmation and their Expectations of Fatherhood”, “First-Time Fatherhood”, and “The Transition to Parenthood's Influence on the Marital Relationship”. Findings demonstrate that the firstborn's influence on the father's sense of self and the marital relationship can be both a positive and a negative experience. These findings, together with others were discussed in relation to previous literature done in the area. Recommendations for future research were also suggested.