Had an unsettling birth experience? Then these researchers want to hear from you. Difficult births can cause Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome in women, but for the first time men’s experiences are wanted.
If you think you have anything to say, please contact Cheryl.beck@uconn.edu. This is a joint US/NZ study, locally supported by TABS (Trauma and Birth Stress)
Auckland has successfully completed its first Teen Dads program, with the initial Waitakere Teen Dads Program report resoundingly positive. Based on group courses by ChangeWorks, with SKIP integration, the program uses trust building, relationship and action content.
Having a facilitation style that is experiential was vital and there are encouraging signs of young dad participation, with new facilitator training scheduled for early 2010.
This well organised pilot project had the support of HealthWest and the local Barnardos team, plus use of the local Teen Mum’s venue was an ideal bonus. Areas to improve may include age range, survey content, a need to reassess the budget and ongoing support arrangements.
A celebration gathering is planned for December while similar programs are planned for other teen parent units.
A recent New Zealand study interviewing 1,700 Kiwi dads found that they were quite happy with their parenting, but not happy with how they are portrayed in the media.
The ‘Supporting Kiwi Dads’ study published in December by the Families Commission found that 60% of fathers think the media portray fathers poorly, and 49% think that society does not recognise the importance of fathers to be involved.
The fathers also reported spending, on average, 37 hours per week with their children, which, together with household chores, took up all or most of their spare time.
More than half of fathers surveyed said work commitments were a barrier for fathering, but even those that were full-time carers for their children said they wanted to spend more time with them.
This is somewhat at odds with other studies which showed that the number of hours men work has little impact on how much time they spend with their children.
Father & Child coordinator Harald Breiding-Buss says that men are ‘pre-conditioned’ to appear as good workers . “There is now a lot of social pressure to say you want more time with your children, and work is a socially very acceptable reason to not give them that time already.
It would be the first excuse anyone would use, and the first thing that would come to mind when asked about it in a telephone interview.”
The survey showed high levels of satisfaction with themselves when it comes to parenting. Large majorities reported that it came instinctively or that they had picked it up as they went along.
Similarly, the vast majority of fathers never attended a parenting course or support group. Only 20% reported having attended antenatal classes, which is somehwat at odds with the experience of childbirth educators that most women bring their partners to these classes.
A leading childbirth specialist, Michael Odent, is about to present an argument to the British Midwives conference that the best environment for a birth includes a good midwife and no men.
“In this situation, more often than not, the birth is easier and faster than when there are no other people around, especially male figures, husbands and doctors.’ he claims, having over 50 years experience in Britain, Africa and France.
Labour may be longer and more difficult, mothers become more tense and their hormonal balance is disrupted. He says in some births fathers can be put off sex, and suggests that their presence is related to more men getting postnatal depression.
The most important thing, others argue, is that the mother feels safe, secure and supported, so if she wants to have only women around, fine. It may not be a father’s right to be there.
One midwife suggests that fathers suffer emotional turmoil before and after birth and that perhaps the midwifery profession has been encouraging fathers to attend births without understanding the impact of the birth on either them or the mother.
Teen dads are probably the first fathers to ever be mentioned in a New Zealand budget. The government set aside $750,000 over four years to re-train the service sector to better include teen fathers in existing services for teen ‘parents’.
This is part of about $15 million in funding for teen parents over the next four years, which includes an increase in directly funded ‘teen parent service coordinator’ positions.
Other social initiatives include a ring-fenced family and community services fund, and a fund to make the social sector more efficient and work together better.
A Father & Child survey of 124 dads attending the Waitakere City Toddler Day Out this year, found that a majority felt their needs as a dad are well catered for in Waitakere City.
However, only half said that they’d had face-to-face contact with a Well Child Health provider, such as Plunket. Home-based Well Child Health services are available to all babies and their parents.
More than three quarters of dads felt Waitakere supported early parenting and families well, but only 57% thought new dads were well supported. Even fewer thought the city did well for separated or solo dads.
Fathers with an only child under one felt especially frustrated with a lack of inclusion, and rated support for families much higher than support for dads. They were clearly appreciative of what is being done to keep baby healthy and put families on track, but about half of these dads appeared to have been effectively kept out of the loop by the agencies involved.
It seems that although family service providers may be more aware of fathers and their important contribution to child development, they still do not make enough effort to meet with them and engage them.
There were some signs that this had improved over recent years. A father with a child under one was almost twice as likely to report having had face-to-face contact with a Well Child Health provider than a father with a child aged three or over.
The survey highlighted the importance of that face-to-face contact. Fathers who had such contact with some of the leading agencies generally felt much better supported than their peers who had not, and seem to have generally better access to information.
Dads who engaged with Playcentres stood out as being significantly happier with their support as a dad, and 73% of them said they feel encouraged to participate in their child’s early education.
Perhaps surprisingly, separated fathers felt better supported than those living with the mother of the child. Only 30% thought they were not supported as new dads, 10% felt families are not supported, 11% thought there are not enough fun events for dads and kids and only 9% thought there is not enough information about early parenting – the lowest rates for any group analysed.
Of the partnered fathers, 44% felt unsupported as new dads, 21% felt families are not supported, 33% would like more fun events and 26% could do with more early parenting information.
Survey conducted by Father and Child Trust at Violence Free Waitakere’s Toddler Day Out, in collaboration with Geoff Bridgeman and with support from Glen Jones.
Full report here (pdf)
Auckland staff – Brendon Smith and Peter Benzie – issue an invitation to all to visit them in their new premises in the Onehunga Community Centre, 83 Church St, Onehunga anytime between 10 am and 2 pm Monday to Friday.
Feel free to drop in for a chat and a cuppa, for information, for help, to introduce your new baby to us or for whatever reason – the door is open!
The opening of this office is yet another step in the Father and Child Trust extending its services to fathers in Auckland as it seeks to support all fathers in maximising their relationships with their children.
More information on the Auckland office is available here.
Dr Fran Vertue is supervising a student’s Masters thesis at the University of Canterbury.
This study will explore the mental health and parenting practices of New Zealand parents who have separated in the past year or two.
We decided to conduct this study online, as it is convenient for most people, and helps to maintain your privacy. Read the information below, and if you’re interested, please take the link to the study.
Participate in the University of Canterbury survey and you will be entered into a draw for one of three $100 vouchers (your choice of a $100 Westfield shopping voucher or a $100 fuel voucher).
Hello, I am Kirsten Ritchie from the University of Canterbury and I am researching the psychological and parenting challenges of separated parents.
I invite you to take part in this important project if you are a parent who has separated in the past year or two. The survey I am asking you to participate in will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, and you will be asked to complete one shorter follow-up survey later in the year.
The first thing we ask is for your name and email address so that we can then send you a link into our secure server where you will find the survey. You will be asked questions about yourself, your relationship, your parenting practices, and be asked about your psychological wellbeing.
Any information you provide will be strictly confidential, and will not be disclosed to any other person or organisation.
To ensure complete confidentiality, your email address and any additional characteristics that may identify you as a participant are collected only for consent, and to send out reminders for the second survey later in the year.
This information will be available only to the Principal Researcher and will be secured on a locked computer in a locked office within the Psychology Department.
Your survey information will be assigned a code number and the only people who will have access to the matching of code numbers and the email addresses of the participants are the Principal Researcher and her supervisors.
This study has been approved by the Human Ethics Committee of the University of Canterbury.
To begin participating in the survey, please go to this website (http://psycdb.canterbury.ac.nz/limesurvey) and click on “The Mental Health and Parenting Practices of Recently Separated Parents”. Once you have registered your name and email address , you will be sent a secure link to more detailed information and the beginning of the survey.
Kirsten Ritchie
Principal Researcher in this project
University of Canterbury
telephone 03 364 2987 extension 3638
email khr19@uclive.ac.nz
The General Manager Harald Breiding-Buss today signed a lease agreement which will see the Auckland branch of the Father & Child Trust located in the Onehunga Community Centre, Te Pito ō te Iwi Whaanui 83 Church St, Onehunga as from 4 May 2010. (more…)
The government’s green paper will argue that involving fathers more in their offspring’s early years is not only good for the child, but can also help the couple’s relationship.
Every new father in Britain is to be given a “dads’ guide” that will include an explanation of breast feeding and tips on how to support their partner. (more…)
