Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40640747›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

The relationship between the incidence of couvade syndrome and prenatal paternal attachment in prospective fathers and the affecting factors.

Burcu Küçükkaya, Hafsa Kübra Işık

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Burcu KüçükkayaFaculty of Health Sciences, Nursing Department, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics Nursing, Bartın University, Bartın, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3421-9794
Hafsa Kübra IşıkInstitute of Health Sciences, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey. hafsakubra@yahoo.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2472-6987

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCouvade Syndrome (sympathetic pregnancy) is an involuntary disorder in which the prospective father experiences unexplainable physiological and/or psychological symptoms in the transition period to parenthood. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the incidence of Couvade syndrome and prenatal paternal attachment in prospective fathers living in Turkey and the influencing factors.

methodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted with 486 prospective fathers by simple random method through a web-based questionnaire distributed through social media and communication platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, or WhatsApp etc.) between May and August 2023. A "Participant Identification Form" and the "Prenatal Paternal Attachment Scale" were used to collect the data. Since there is no scale that quantitatively evaluates Couvade syndrome, Couvade syndrome was evaluated on the basis of symptoms through the "Personal Information Form" created by reviewing the literature. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine correlations between variables and scale scores.

resultsIt was determined that 89.3% of the participants experienced at least three of the pregnancy-related complaints (such as weight gain, nausea, vomiting, edema, leg pain) during their spouse's pregnancy. It was determined that the most frequently experienced symptoms by the prospective fathers were weight gain (59.1%), changes in sleep pattern (59.8%), increased stress (56.7%), and nausea (50.6%). The participants' mean score on Prenatal Paternal Attachment Scale was 43.98. In the study, a statistically significant difference was found between prenatal paternal attachment levels and weight gain, loss of appetite, sensitivity to smells, changes in sleep patterns, financial worries, increased stress, and experiencing food craving (p < 0.001). Among the significant predictors related with Couvade syndrome were educational status, income status, employment status, spouse's educational and employment status, parity and live births, infant's gender, and planned pregnancy status (p < 0.001). In addition, experiencing Couvade syndrome according to their spouses' pregnancy periods is also among the important predictors (p < 0.01).

conclusionIn the study, it was seen that prenatal paternal attachment levels of the fathers was high. Couvade syndrome characteristics were found to affect prenatal paternal attachment levels.

Indexed as

FathersObject AttachmentPregnancy ComplicationsAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansIncidenceMalePregnancyProspective StudiesSurveys and QuestionnairesSyndromeTurkeyCouvade syndromeFrequencyPrenatal attachmentProspective fathers; affecting factors

Identifiers

PMID40640747
PMCPMC12243285

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.