The usefulness of a birthing school in the male perception

Abstract

Introduction: Conscious parenting and a modernfamily model have been constantly developing overthe years. Modern men's approach to parenting hasalso changed.Aim of the study: To examine why men participatein antenatal classes, how they perceive these classes,and whether participation and perception are influenced by the duration of marriage, men's age, education, and place of residence.Material and methods: The study included twogroups of 200 men who would become fathers thefollowing year and attended a birthing school(groupI) and those who would become fathers the followingyear and did not attend a birthing school(group II).The researchers used a diagnostic survey methodbased on a self-authorship survey consisting of ageneral part, a Questionnaire for EmpathicUnderstanding of Other People(KRE), and a CopingInventory for Stress Situations(CISS)Results: Only 138(34.5%) of the surveyed men fromboth groups participated in the previous childbirth oftheir wives or partners. Previously, 118(29.5%) ofthe surveyed men from both groups participated inantenatal classes. Most study subjects learned abouta birthing school from their wives: 248(58.8%). Thelevel of empathy in both groups was also assessed.The study subjects attending a birthing school mostoften presented a high level of empathy(92.5%), while those who did not participate had a lowlevel(61.5%). The analysis of a stress-coping styleshowed significant differences only in task-orientedcoping: it was used to the greatest extent by the menwho attended a birthing school. The men in group IImost often evaluated their knowledge of pregnancyand childbirth as low: 101(50.5%). The men fromgroup II paid more attention to knowledge gainedfrom TV than those from group I(37.5% vs. 34.5%).The majority of the subjects attending a birthingschool(97.8%) would recommend other fathers toparticipate in antenatal classesConclusions: Most often, when the men decided toparticipate in antenatal classes, they desired toprepare for the care of a baby, acquire knowledge ofmedical issues, and develop the ability to supporttheir wives/partners. Participation in antenatalclasses was more often declared by those who hadbeen in a relationship for up to one year or more thantwo years, did not have children, and had a universitydegree. The study subjects attending a birthingschool, compared to those not attending it, moreoften presented a high level of empathy and a taskoriented coping with stress.