The Effect of Kangaroo Care Method On The Self-Confıdence and Attachment Levels of Fathers of Preterm Babies

This study was conducted as a randomized controlled experimental type to evaluate the confidence and attachment levels of fathers in baby care whose babies were treated in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Attachment Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Fathers who practicing kangaroo care

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 56
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Istanbul, Turkey, 34010
    • Biruni University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

For Newborns:

• Being a newborn treated in the Istanbul Başakşehir Çam and Sakura Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• Gestational age less than 37 weeks
• Postnatal age between 0-28 days
• The baby is considered stable by a neonatologist
• The baby can maintain body temperature during Kangaroo Care
• Safety is ensured if there is an existing umbilical or central catheter

For fathers:

• Agreeing to practice Kangaroo Care
• Having no health condition that would prevent practicing Kangaroo Care
• Being able to maintain sufficient hygiene conditions for Kangaroo Care
• Being literate
• Being able to communicate in Turkish

Exclusion Criteria:

For babies:

• Receiving respiratory support
• Having a chest tube
• Having a congenital anomaly
• Using sedative medication
• Having undergone surgery

For fathers:

• Not wanting to practice Kangaroo Care
• Using substances that cause sedation (drugs, alcohol)
• Having a disease that can be transmitted through skin contact
• Not agreeing to participate in the study
• Not living in the same house as the baby

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Study group: Fathers who practicing kangaroo care; The premature babies treated in the neonatal intensive care unit where the study was conducted practice kangaroo care with their mothers. However, in the intervention conducted by the researcher, the babies practiced kangaroo care with both their mothers and fathers.	Other: Fathers who practicing kangaroo care; The study group (n=28) It consists of fathers of babies practicing Kangaroo Care with both their mothers and fathers in the neonatal intensive care unit.
No Intervention: Control group: Fathers who not practicing kangaroo care; The premature babies treated in the neonatal intensive care unit where the study was conducted practice kangaroo care with their mothers. However, in the intervention conducted by the researcher, the babies practiced kangaroo care with both their mothers and fathers.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Paternal-Infant Attachment Scale	The scale developed to assess father-infant bonding after birth is a 19-item scale. It consists of three subdimensions: 'patience and tolerance,' 'enjoyment in interaction,' and 'love and pride'. Twelve items in the scale are reverse-coded. Higher scores indicate a higher level of bonding. While the original version of the scale consists of 19 items, the Turkish version comprises 18 items. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was reported to be 0.81 at 6 months and 0.78 at 12 months.	This assessment scale will be administered to the father one month following the baby's discharge from the hospital.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale	The scale, originally developed by Crncec and colleagues in 2008, was adapted into Turkish by Yılmaz and Oskay in 2021. It is used to assess the self-confidence of parents regarding their parenting abilities and consists of 14 items designed for parents with infants aged 0 to 12 months. The scale includes two sub-dimensions: "Infant Care" and "Parenting Role." Only Item 11 is reverse scored, with the following scoring pattern: 0 = 3; 1 = 2; 2 = 1; 3 = 0. The total score ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating a more positive outcome and reflecting higher levels of parental self-confidence.	This assessment scale will be administered to the father one month following the baby's discharge from the hospital.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Biruni University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 28, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 28, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): May 28, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 17, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 27, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): October 29, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 9, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 6, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: Biruni Universitesi

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Due to Hospital policy, the individual participant data can not be shared with anyone except researchers.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No