Mobile Prenatal Education for Expectant Fathers and Its Effects on Bonding, Stress, Breastfeeding and Marital Satisfaction

NCT ID: NCT07295639

Last Updated: 2025-12-19

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

80 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2026-01-31

Study Completion Date

2026-10-31

Brief Summary

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The aim of this interventional clinical trial is to assess whether a mobile-based antenatal education programme for expectant fathers has a positive effect on father-infant bonding, stress levels, and breastfeeding attitudes.

The study aims to answer the following main questions:

Does participation in a mobile-based prenatal education programme strengthen fathers' emotional bonds with their babies? Does the education reduce fathers' stress levels during the prenatal and postnatal periods? Does it increase the father's knowledge and supportive attitude towards breastfeeding? Researchers will compare whether there are measurable differences in attachment, stress, and breastfeeding attitudes between the intervention group (fathers receiving mobile-based education) and the control group (fathers receiving standard routine information).

Participants: Will complete pre- and post-intervention questionnaires assessing attachment, stress, and breastfeeding attitudes.

The intervention group will have access to a six-module mobile application covering topics such as infant care, nutrition, sleep routines, health and safety, emotional development, and daily care practices.

The study will be conducted with fathers aged 19-65 who became fathers within the last month and voluntarily agreed to participate.

Detailed Description

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This interventional clinical trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile-based prenatal education programme designed specifically for expectant fathers. The programme aims to strengthen father-infant bonding, reduce paternal stress levels during the prenatal and early postnatal periods, and enhance fathers' knowledge and supportive attitudes related to breastfeeding.

The study is grounded in the increasing scientific evidence demonstrating that fathers play an important role in maternal-infant health, emotional bonding, family cohesion, and early childhood development. Despite this, fathers frequently receive limited antenatal education and often feel unprepared for infant care, breastfeeding support, and the psychological transition to fatherhood. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies provide accessible, cost-effective, and father-friendly educational opportunities that help reduce participation barriers.

In this trial, participants will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. Fathers in the intervention group will have access to a six-module mobile application that offers structured prenatal education. The modules cover infant care, nutrition and feeding, sleep routines, health and safety practices, emotional and social development, and daily care skills. The educational content is designed to support cognitive, emotional, and behavioural readiness for fatherhood and to enhance fathers' confidence in newborn care.

Participants in both groups will complete pre- and post-intervention questionnaires assessing father-infant bonding, stress levels, and breastfeeding attitudes. The intervention group will complete the post-test after engaging with the mobile application, while the control group will receive routine standard information and complete the same assessments during the same time periods. Differences between the two groups will be analysed to determine whether the mobile-based education leads to significant improvements in psychological and behavioural outcomes.

The study will be conducted with fathers aged 19-65 who have become fathers within the past month and who voluntarily agree to participate. Exclusion criteria include lack of smartphone access, inability to use mobile applications, or unwillingness to complete the questionnaires.

This trial is expected to contribute to the development of evidence-based perinatal care interventions that enhance paternal involvement within the domain of women's health nursing, support family-centred care models, and promote practices that strengthen maternal and infant health.

Conditions

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Breastfeeding Attitudes Breast Feeding Paternal Behavior Health Education Parent-Child Relations

Keywords

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father-infant bonding paternal stress breastfeeding attitudes mobile-based education

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Participants are randomly assigned to one of two parallel groups: an intervention group receiving mobile-based prenatal education for expectant fathers, and a control group receiving routine prenatal information. The outcomes of both groups will be compared after the intervention period.
Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors
This study is open-label for participants and investigators. However, the statistician responsible for data analysis will be blinded to group assignments to reduce potential bias in outcome evaluation.

Study Groups

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Mobile-Based Prenatal Education for Expectant Fathers

Fathers in this arm will receive access to a six-module mobile-based prenatal education programme covering infant care, nutrition and feeding, sleep routines, health and safety practices, emotional and social development, and daily care skills. They will complete pre- and post-intervention questionnaires on father-infant bonding, stress levels, and breastfeeding attitudes.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Mobile-based application

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The intervention is a six-module mobile-based training programme developed specifically for expectant fathers.

The modules cover baby care, nutrition, sleep patterns, health and safety, emotional development and daily care.

The aim is to strengthen the father-baby bond, reduce stress levels and develop a positive attitude towards breastfeeding.

Standard Routine Information for Expectant Fathers

Fathers in this arm will receive standard routine information provided in usual care. They will not have access to the mobile-based education programme. They will complete the same pre- and post-intervention questionnaires on father-infant bonding, stress levels, and breastfeeding attitudes during the same time intervals as the intervention group.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Mobile-based application

The intervention is a six-module mobile-based training programme developed specifically for expectant fathers.

The modules cover baby care, nutrition, sleep patterns, health and safety, emotional development and daily care.

The aim is to strengthen the father-baby bond, reduce stress levels and develop a positive attitude towards breastfeeding.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age between 19 and 65 years
* First-time father
* Has become a father within the last month
* Has a healthy newborn without congenital anomalies or chronic illnesses
* Does not have a premature or low-birth-weight baby
* Has not become a father through adoption
* Owns a mobile phone capable of accessing the mobile-based application
* Has an Android or iOS operating system
* Has not received any infant care training within the last 6 months
* Has no physical or mental disability that would prevent viewing, hearing, or understanding the research questions or educational content
* Voluntarily agrees to participate in the research

Exclusion Criteria

* Declines to participate in the research
* Does not own a smartphone
* Cannot use mobile applications
* Has a physical or mental condition that prevents completing the questionnaires
* Has a baby with congenital anomalies or chronic medical conditions
* Has a premature or low-birth-weight baby
* Has received infant care training within the last 6 months
* Has adopted a child
* Is outside the 19-65 age range
Minimum Eligible Age

19 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

MALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Sebahat Kuşlu

Research Assistant

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Sebahat Kuşlu, MSc

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University

Locations

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Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University

Şahinbey, Gaziantep, Turkey (Türkiye)

Site Status

Countries

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Turkey (Türkiye)

Central Contacts

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Sebahat Kuşlu, Masters

Role: CONTACT

Phone: +905300632585

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

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Sebahat Kuşlu

Role: primary

References

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Bakker CJ, Wyatt TH, Breth MC, Gao G, Janeway LM, Lee MA, Martin CL, Tiase VL. Nurses' Roles in mHealth App Development: Scoping Review. JMIR Nurs. 2023 Oct 17;6:e46058. doi: 10.2196/46058.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37847533 (View on PubMed)

Bich TH, Long TK, Hoa DP. Community-based father education intervention on breastfeeding practice-Results of a quasi-experimental study. Matern Child Nutr. 2019 Jan;15 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):e12705. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12705.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30748110 (View on PubMed)

Challacombe FL, Pietikainen JT, Kiviruusu O, Saarenpaa-Heikkila O, Paunio T, Paavonen EJ. Paternal perinatal stress is associated with children's emotional problems at 2 years. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2023 Feb;64(2):277-288. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13695. Epub 2022 Oct 10.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36215991 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Other Identifiers

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Ethical Approval: 582.45.13

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id