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To date, most studies on paternal childbirth fears have been exploratory or descriptive, conducted outside of the United States, and focused mainly on White, first-time fathers. Identified fears include harm to the mother or newborn, partner pain, feelings of helplessness, lack of knowledge, and fear of high-risk intervention. Fathers often report that childbirth classes are not helpful and, in some cases, even increase their fears. Some fathers view birth as traumatic, changing their perception of and relationship with their partner. Fathers also voice the need for more information and for reassurance that they are doing the right things for their partner during childbirth. This article summarizes the research findings on paternal childbirth fears and recommends topics for future study.

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The purpose of this study was to describe Masters entry nursing students' attitudes about psychiatric mental health clinical experiences; preparedness to care for persons with mental illness; students' perceived stigmas and stereotypes; and plans to choose mental health nursing as a career. A 31-item survey was administered to pre-licensure graduate nursing students who were recruited from a Masters entry nursing program from a university in a large city in the Midwestern US. Results indicated that clinical experiences provide valuable experiences for nursing practice, however, fewer students think that these experiences prepare them to work as a psychiatric mental health nurse and none plan to pursue careers as psychiatric mental health nurses. The findings support conclusions from other studies that increasing the amount of time in the clinical setting and adding specific content to the curriculum, particularly content related to the importance of psychiatric mental health nursing and the effects of stigma, may assist the profession's efforts to recruit and retain psychiatric mental health nurses. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of these strategies and to identify the best ways to implement them.