The Covid-19 pandemic has forced changes in our lifestyles and affected the relationships between father and infant. The aim of this study was to explore factors associated with father-infant bonding during the Covid-19 pandemic in Japan. This study was a cross-sectional study using a nationwide online survey data. The Japanese version of the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) was used for father-infant bonding. The study participants were divided into two groups depending on their partners’ parity. A linear regression model (Gauss-Markov-type) was used for the two groups. A total of 1,055 men were included in the analysis. Of these men, 521 (49.4%) had a partner who was primipara, and 534 (50.6%) had a partner who was multipara. No significant differences were found between the two groups for MIBS-J scores. The fathers’ mental health, relationship with the partner and family members, abusive behavior towards children, wanted pregnancy, and admission history to NICU for the youngest child were associated with father-infant bonding. As for factors related to Covid-19, caring for the child while the partner is at home has a negative impact on bonding, while fear related to infection with Covid-19 has no negative impact on the bonding.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.