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Tables
- Table 1.
Baseline (Prenatal) Demographic and Health Characteristics of Fathers, Mothers, and the Total Group, and Significant Gender Differences in these Characteristics, as Determined by Paired t Tests and Chi-square Analyses (n = 125–128 Couples).
Measure Fathers (n = 129) Mothers (n = 132) Total Group (n = 261) P Value Demographic characteristics: Age (mean years, SD) 30.5 (4.5) 29.0 (4.2) 29.7 (4.4) .004 Education (% ≥ college degree) 65.1 65.2 65.1 1.000 Married (%) 91.5 91.7 91.6 1.000 Employed (%) 98.4 90.9 94.6 .011 White (%) 92.1 94.7 93.4 .460 Physical health General health* 21.2 (2.9) 21.0 (2.3) 21.1 (2.6) .502 Days ill (d/4 wk) 0.7 (2.1) 1.5 (3.7) 1.1 (3.0) .037 Vitality† 17.1 (2.8) 14.7 (2.9) 15.9 (3.1) .000 Sleep (hours last night) 7.4 (1.0) 7.5 (1.2) 7.3 (1.6) .605 Mental health Mental health scale‡ 24.6 (2.6) 24.4 (2.4) 24.5 (2.5) .538 Quality of life§ 82.6 (11.9) 86.4 (8.0) 84.6 (10.3) .001 * General health: 5 items, scale 1–5, possible score range of 5–25, with 25 = healthiest.
† Vitality: 4 items, scale 1–6, possible score range of 4–24, with 24 = most vital.
‡ Mental health: 5 items, scale 1–6, possible score range of 5–30, with 30 = healthiest.
§ Quality of life: range of 1%–100%, with 100% = best quality.
- Table 2.
Fathers’ and Mothers’ Prenatal (Pre) to Postpartum (Post) Changes in Physical and Mental Health, as Determined by Paired t Tests.
Measure Fathers (n = 129): means (SD) P Value Mothers (n = 132): means (SD) P Value Pre Post Post-Pre* Pre Post Post-Pre* Physical health General health† 21.2 (2.9) 20.7 (3.0) −0.5 (2.7) .033 21.0 (2.3) 21.1 (2.8) 0.1 (2.9) .810 Days ill‡ 0.7 (2.1) 1.7 (3.6) 1.0 (4.2) .006 1.5 (3.7) 2.0 (3.6) 0.4 (4.9) .306 Vitality§ 17.1 (2.8) 16.0 (3.4) −1.1 (2.8) .000 14.7 (2.9) 15.3 (3.2) 0.6 (3.2) .031 Sleep‖ (hours last night) 7.4 (1.0) 7.2 (1.3) −0.2 (2.3) .681 7.6 (1.2) 6.9 (1.2) −0.7 (1.6) .009 Mental health Mental health scale¶ 24.6 (2.6) 24.2 (3.2) −0.4 (2.9) .156 24.3 (2.4) 23.9 (2.9) −0.4 (2.8) .101 Quality of life** 82.7 (11.9) 79.3 (13.1) −3.4 (11.0) .001 86.4 (8.1) 83.1 (9.3) −3.3 (9.6) .000 * Post-pre: postpartum score minus prenatal score.
† General health: 5 items, scale 1–5, possible score range of 5–25, with 25 = healthiest.
‡ Days ill: number of days ill during the past 4 weeks; possible range: 0–28.
§ Vitality: 4 items, scale 1–6, possible score range of 4–24, with 24 = most vital.
‖ Due to missing data on sleep at the prenatal interval, paired t tests on sleep were conducted with 39 men and 41 women. Mean postpartum sleep time, when analyzed for full sample, was 6.9 hours for both fathers and mothers.
¶ Mental health: 5 items, scale 1–6, possible score range of 5–30, with 30 = healthiest.
** Quality of life: range of 1%–100%, with 100% = best quality.
- Table 3.
Predictors of Fathers’ And Mothers’ General Health 6 Months after the Birth of Their First Child, as Determined by Multiple Regression Analysis.
Independent Variables Fathers (n = 101)* Mothers (n = 101)* Total Group Standardized β P Value Standardized β P Value Standardized β P Value Mental health Quality of life .364 .000 .074 .441 .291 .000 Work F-M† difference in employment hours .252 .006 .108 .332 .150 .027 Total work hours .238 .009 −.069 .497 .061 .372 F-M† difference in childcare hours .109 .337 −.259 .008 −.129 .099 Demographic Education .065 .469 .254 (F)‡ .009 .115 .088 Adjusted R2 .211 .099 .089 * The number of participants included in these regression analyses is less than the total sample size, because those with incomplete data were excluded.
† F-M refers to the father-mother difference in hours devoted to this activity.
‡ F indicates that the standardized β and P value for this item are derived from the father’s response. Otherwise, the responder identity (father or mother) is indicated by the column heading.
- Table 4.
Predictors of Fathers’ and Mothers’ Mental Health 6 Months after the Birth of Their First Child, as Determined by Multiple Regression Analysis.
Independent Variables Fathers (n = 100) Mothers (n = 100) Total Group Standardized β P Value Standardized β P Value Standardized β P Value Physical Health General health .277 .003 .135 .133 .116 .077 Days ill −.086 .352 −.087 .338 −.177 .006 Partner Partner satisfaction .379 (M)* .000 .461 .000 .398 .000 Work F-M† difference in employment hours −.301 .001 .006 .944 −.059 .430 F-M† difference in childcare hours −.078 .446 −.089 .324 −.134 .034 Satisfaction with housework sharing −.209 (M)† .024 .005 .961 .120 .062 Adjusted R2 .270 .204 .204 * M indicates that the standardized β and P value for this item are derived from the mother’s response. Otherwise, the responder identity is indicated by the column heading.
† F-M” refers to the father-mother difference in hours devoted to this activity.
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