Experiences and Perceptions of Men Regarding Participation in Labor: a Scoping Review Protocol
Published 2025-06-19
Keywords
- Men,
- Father,
- Paternity,
- Labor
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2024 Bárbara Helena, Maria João Freitas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Introduction
There is a growing interest among men in becoming an active and involved figure in the reproductive process. However, hospital birth contexts still show a practice that does little to promote paternal involvement, distorting their role in this event. Understanding men's experiences and perceptions of their participation in labor is particularly important to promote more effective participation.
Objective
Mapping scientific evidence about men's experiences and perceptions regarding their participation in labor.
Methods
Scoping review in six databases: Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Ultimate, MEDLINE Ultimate, MedicLatina, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and SciELO, using the research question "What are men's experiences and perceptions of participation in labor?", formulated according to the PCC mnemonic - Population (men), Concept (experiences, perceptions) and Context (labor). 500 articles were identified, 109 duplicates were excluded, 21 articles were selected for full reading and 10 answered the proposed question. A further 3 articles extracted from other sources were included, making a total of 13 articles.
Results
With regard to "Experiences", two subcategories emerged: Feelings experienced subdivided into "Positive feelings" and "Negative feelings" and Level of participation subdivided into "Active participation", "Passive participation" and "Lack of participation". As to "Perceptions", three subcategories emerged: Perceived contributions, Perceptions of the environment and Perceptions of their role.
Conclusion
Men show motivation and interest in actively participating in labor but identify doubts about their role, lack of information and support as inhibiting factors. They recognize the importance of their participation stating benefits for the triad and referring the need for greater preparation. The conclusion is that it is essential to take men as a target for nursing care in the reproductive process, with a focus on training them to participate actively during labor.