"Lost in space and time": Fathers' experiences of preterm birth

This study is a qualitative analysis of fathers' experiences of preterm birth. Preterm birth affects about ten per cent of the families globally. It is a traumatic event, especially when the infant is very preterm. Often, parents are struggling with the experience without any psychological support. Though fathers' role in the child's healthy psychological development has been confirmed by recent studies, the impact of preterm birth on their paternal identity and their needs for support in this emotionally burdening situation has not been studied extensively. We analysed ten interviews using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a method to study sensitive themes to determine the key themes as potential areas of intervention. We could find that these fathers live their lives in extended liminality, characterized by chaos and unpredictability, and are struggling with new, often unusual roles and responsibilities that may completely upset their private life - work balance. The first contact with the child is usually ambivalent and is burdened with grave concerns about the potential harms. Communication at Perinatal Intensive Care Units (PICUs), though seen as supportive, is not tailored to fathers' competencies. Targeted intervention by trained counsellors at PICU could help the fathers overcome these traumatizing experiences.