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PubMed1985

Incidence of pup killing and parental behavior in virgin female and male rats (Rattus norvegicus): differences between Wistar and Sprague-Dawley stocks.

The responses toward young shown by males and nulliparous females differed substantially between two outbred stocks of laboratory rats. Sprague-Dawley females showed maternal behavior either spontaneously (35% of the naive rats) or through concaveation (92% of the initially neutral virgins). Of the Wistar females, however, only 10% showed maternal behavior spontaneously, and only 29% of the neutral virgins came to behave maternally during 15 days of concaveation. Prepubertal cohabitation with lactating rats did not facilitate maternal responsiveness in adulthood in the Wistar virgin females. Of the Sprague-Dawley males, 50% showed paternal behavior spontaneously, and only 4% killed the young. Among the Wistar males, however, only 4% showed paternal behavior spontaneously, and 76% killed pups. Such profound differences between outbred stocks of rats may be a source of discrepancies between the results of studies dealing with the induction of parental behavior in nonlactating rats.

Aggression↗
PubMed1992

Selected physiologic measures and behavior during paternal skin contact with Colombian preterm infants.

A descriptive study of eleven healthy preterm infants was conducted in which cardiorespiratory (heart and respiratory rates, oxygen saturation), thermal (abdominal, toe and tympanic temperatures) and state behavior responses to two hours of paternal skin-to-skin contact within the first 17 hours of birth in Colombia, South America were evaluated. Infant physiologic and behavioral state measures were recorded each minute as was paternal skin temperature and behavior. Infant heart and respiratory rates increased during paternal contact as did abdominal and core temperatures. Fathers were able to keep their infants sufficiently warm, and five infants became hyperthermic (tympanic temperature greater than 37.5 degrees C) despite cooling measures while being held in this climate. Infants slept most of the time while being held and fathers seldom gazed at, spoke to, or touched their infants while holding them. When mothers are unavailable, fathers may be an alternate source of warmth and comfort to infants.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

The fathers (not the mothers): their importance and influence with infants and young children.

This review is primarily concerned with the behavior and influence of fathers with respect to their infants and children in early childhood as a mediating variable in forms of psychopathology. Three developmental periods are surveyed in relation to what is known of paternal behavior and its influences on the child: pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood. Throughout, it is appreciated that influences may be bidirectional (i.e., father-child and child-father) and that behavior problems in children are usually determined by the coexistence of several factors. The objective here, however, is to examine the father-child relationship specificially as a possible early determinant of behavior deviance in children. Because the literature is sparse, it is necessary to carefully take into account manifestations of paternal behavioral deviance and behavioral deviance of children as they may influence each other.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2002

Effects of dopamine receptor antagonism with haloperidol on nurturing behavior in the biparental prairie vole.

Dopamine (DA) receptor activity in lactating rats is critical for retrieval and licking of pups, whereas its inactivity facilitates quiescent nursing. The role of DA in the maternal behavior of other species and its role in paternal behavior are unknown. This experiment examined the effects of the DA antagonist haloperidol (HAL) on parental behavior in the biparental prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). Three days after birth of pups, parental behavior of male and female voles was observed for 30 min beginning 1 h after intraperitoneal injection of 0.1, 0.5, or 2.5 mg/kg of HAL. Controls received the propylene glycol vehicle. Control males were slower to contact pups, licked them more, and quiescently huddled/nursed less than control females. Even at the lowest dose of HAL that had no effect on general activity, pup licking was decreased in both sexes and the latency to contact pups increased in males. The latency to contact pups was most increased in females by the highest HAL dose. Retrieval of pups was not often displayed by any group. HAL dose-dependently decreased the latency and increased the duration of huddling/nursing in both sexes, but did not affect litter weight gains. These data indicate some subtle species differences in the dopaminergic regulation of parenting, as well as sex differences in the sensitivity of some vole parental behaviors to HAL.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Hormonal changes in males of a naturally biparental and a uniparental mammal.

Blood samples from male hamsters (Phodopus) during their mate's gestation and early lactation show that key hormones important in maternal behavior are also changing in males and differ for two closely related species with different levels of paternal care. Results of study 1 were consistent with a relationship between higher prolactin, lower testosterone and paternal behavior during early lactation in P. campbelli and provided no evidence for similar hormonal changes in P. sungorus. Study 2 sampled males before or after the birth. Prolactin did not increase until at least one day after the birth in P. campbelli but was high at the end of the pregnancy in P. sungorus. Increasing testosterone concentrations in P. campbelli as the birth approached were consistent with mate guarding, high testosterone concentrations on L5 were consistent with paternal aggression in defense of the litter, and the drop in testosterone after the birth was consistent with reduced aggression toward the new pups. Results confirmed that cortisol concentrations were reduced following the establishment of a pair-bond and found that P. campbelli males had elevated cortisol before the birth. Results support the hypothesis that mammalian paternal behavior has a hormonal basis which is analogous to maternal behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Axon-sparing lesions of the medial nucleus of the amygdala decrease affiliative behaviors in the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster): behavioral and anatomical specificity.

The neural basis of affiliative behavior was examined in the prairie vole, a rodent that exhibits high levels of social contact and paternal behavior. In the first study, the axon-sparing excitotoxin N-methyl-D,L-aspartic acid (NMA) produced lesions in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala or the corticomedial amygdala. Males with corticomedial lesions showed significantly less contact with a familiar adult female and a pup when compared with males with lesions of the basolateral nucleus or controls. This behavioral change was not associated with changes in exploratory behavior, motor function, performance in an olfactory task, fearfulness, physical well-being, or body temperature. In a second study, NMA lesions restricted to the medial nucleus also decreased paternal behavior. Neurons in the medial nucleus of the amygdala appear to be essential for the normal expression of paternal care in this species.

Amygdala↗
PubMed1995

Oxytocin changes in males over the reproductive cycle in the monogamous, biparental California mouse, Peromyscus californicus.

Levels of plasma oxytocin in male Peromyscus californicus were assessed across the reproductive cycle to provide a foundation for subsequent studies of the hormonal basis of paternal behavior and pair bonds. In Experiment 1, plasma oxytocin levels were significantly higher in expectant fathers than in virgin males or fathers. Plasma oxytocin increased in expectant fathers 1 day postcopulation and remained elevated for the first 15 days of gestation. Plasma oxytocin declined by Day 20 of gestation and oxytocin levels remained low in fathers throughout the lactational period. Oxytocin levels among expectant fathers did not differ between parental and nonparental males or between infanticidal and noninfanticidal males, suggesting that plasma oxytocin may not be involved in the prepartum onset of paternal behavior or the inhibition of infanticide. In Experiment 2, plasma oxytocin levels also did not differ between males that were parental or non-parental prepartum or postpartum. However, males separated from their mate and pups on the day of birth had elevated oxytocin levels on Day 3 postpartum compared to males that remained with their family, suggesting that disruption of the pair bond and/or absence of the young affects plasma oxytocin levels in males. This possibility remains to be determined.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

The Pennsylvania Infant and Family Development Project, I: Stability and change in mother-infant and father-infant interaction in a family setting at one, three, and nine months.

In order to further understanding of the development of the father-infant relationship, patterns of mothering and fathering in 72 families were observed longitudinally (at 1, 3, and 9 months) and from the perspective of the family system. Analyses of variance revealed comparable developmental change in maternal and paternal behaviors, but striking differences between parents, with mothers engaging in far more interaction at all ages studied. Analyses of individual differences in maternal and paternal behavior revealed consistent stability over time, especially from 3 to 9 months, thereby highlighting points of similarity in mothering and fathering. Within-age correlational analyses revealed consistent positive associations between measures of father-infant and husband-wife interaction, yet little relationship between measures of mother-infant and spousal interaction. These findings and others are discussed in terms of similarities and differences in mothering and fathering.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The effect of exogenous testosterone on parental behavior, plasma prolactin, and prolactin binding sites in dark-eyed juncos.

Numerous studies have shown that parental behaviors are mediated by prolactin (PRL), while testosterone (T) interferes with their full expression. The limited data available suggest that reduced parental behavior induced by T is not mediated by reduced concentrations of plasma PRL. We hypothesized that T reduces parental behaviors by reducing PRL receptor binding activity at central neural sites that promote the expression of parental behaviors. To test this hypothesis we implanted male dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) with testosterone-filled or empty implants and measured T and PRL levels, paternal behavior, and specific binding of radio-labeled PRL at selected brain regions that have been implicated in the mediation of parental behaviors. Our findings concurred with previous studies in that T-treated males reduced their parental contributions, had higher levels of T, and had equivalent levels of PRL compared with controls. We found no differences in the capacity to bind 125I-oPRL in three brain regions previously implicated in the mediation of parental care in birds, i.e., the preoptic area, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Thus our findings do not support the hypothesis that T interferes with the expression of parental behavior by reducing PRL receptor binding activity at central sites.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Childhood adversities associated with risk for eating disorders or weight problems during adolescence or early adulthood.

OBJECTIVE: A community-based prospective longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the association between childhood adversities and problems with eating or weight during adolescence and early adulthood. METHOD: A community-based sample of 782 mothers and their offspring were interviewed during the childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood of the offspring. Childhood maltreatment, eating problems, environmental risk factors, temperament, maladaptive parental behavior, and parental psychopathology were assessed during childhood and adolescence. Eating disorders and problems with eating or weight in the offspring were assessed during adolescence and early adulthood. RESULTS: A wide range of childhood adversities were associated with elevated risk for eating disorders and problems with eating or weight during adolescence and early adulthood after the effects of age, childhood eating problems, difficult childhood temperament, parental psychopathology, and co-occurring childhood adversities were controlled statistically. Numerous unique associations were found between specific childhood adversities and specific types of problems with eating or weight, and different patterns of association were obtained among the male and female subjects. Maladaptive paternal behavior was uniquely associated with risk for eating disorders in offspring after the effects of maladaptive maternal behavior, childhood maltreatment, and other co-occurring childhood adversities were controlled statistically. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood adversities may contribute to greater risk for the development of eating disorders and problems with eating and weight that persist into early adulthood. Maladaptive paternal behavior may play a particularly important role in the development of eating disorders in offspring.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Paternal attachment behavior as related to presence at delivery and preparenthood classes: a pilot study.

This pilot study explored father-infant attachment and its relationship to preparenthood classes, presence at delivery, and infant state. The sample consisted of 48 fathers and their infants who were observed in the mother's hospital room between 12 and 72 hours after delivery. The fathers were divided into three groups: those who took classes and were present at delivery, those who were present at delivery but did not take classes, and those who neither took classes nor were present at delivery. Fathers who were present at delivery demonstrated more social attachment behavior than fathers who were not present. Also, presence at delivery was significant in regard to total attachment scores. Sleeping infants elicited significantly less attachment behavior from fathers. Preparenthood classes were not significant in regard to fathers' attachment behavior. Results of this study support the theory of a sensitive period shortly after birth for the development of the parental-infant bond for fathers as well as mothers, and demonstrates, indirectly, that alert, awake infants may elicit certain attachment behaviors from fathers.

Delivery, Obstetric↗
PubMed2000

Behavioral endocrinology of mammalian fatherhood.

Mammalian fatherhood involves a muted version of the maternal experience. In spite of previous assumptions to the contrary, hormones influence mammalian paternal behavior. Naturally paternal males experience dynamic changes in the same hormones involved in maternal behavior and these hormones have access to the same brain pathways. Men becoming fathers for the first time are similar to their female partners too. These recent studies are still correlational, but promise to illuminate maternal behavior and to biologically validate the experiences of involved fathers.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Placentophagia in naïve adults, new fathers, and new mothers in the biparental dwarf hamster, Phodopus campbelli.

Placentophagia in mammals typically occurs only in females during the birth. Male hamsters, Phodopus campbelli, with an extensive paternal behavior repertoire eat placenta during the birth and as alloparental juveniles. Two fresh placentae were presented to sexually naïve males and females covering the developmental range from puberty through reproductive maturity and into senescence. Expectant parents and new mothers were also tested. Placentophagia occurred in both sexes at all developmental stages and was higher in reproductive than in naïve hamsters. Placentophagia declined with increasing age in females, but not males. Liver was readily accepted, but acceptance did not decline with age in females, and was not low in juvenile males, confirming that animals distinguished between the two tissues. Senescent females consumed both tissues willingly. In these paternal males, which do not experience pregnancy or parturition, and in naïve females that selectively refuse placenta, the stimuli influencing placentophagia remain unknown.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Paternal perspectives of the childbirth experience.

This study examined the responses given by first-time fathers who were asked to describe their feelings about their childbirth experience. The fathers answered three open-ended questions about their feelings concerning labor and childbirth, and the paternal behaviors believed to be most useful to their wives during labor and delivery. Data from fathers who attended prenatal childbirth education classes were examined separately from fathers who did not attend. The findings indicated that for all fathers, regardless of prenatal preparation, the labor experience evoked generally positive responses in addition to a significant number of negative responses, while perceptions of the birth experience were primarily characterized by positive or very positive feelings. The results also indicated that the fathers perceived that they were most helpful to their partner during labor.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Prolactin levels in paternal striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) fathers.

Paternal behavior is associated with an increase in prolactin levels in fish, birds and mammals, including rodents. The striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) from southern Africa shows highly developed paternal care. We investigated whether striped mouse fathers have higher prolactin levels than nonfathers, and whether there is a relationship between tactile stimulation with pups and prolactin secretion in fathers. We measured serum prolactin in 42 male striped mice assigned to one of four different experimental groups (single males, paired males, fathers housed with mother and pups, and fathers separated from their family by a wire-mesh partition). Our results revealed no increases in prolactin levels in fathers, and fathers with tactile contact with pups did not have higher prolactin levels than the fathers that were prevented from making tactile contact with pups. In contrast, experienced males had higher prolactin levels than inexperienced males. Male striped mice are polygynous in nature, living in groups, with three breeding females, and are permanently associated with pups during the breeding season. In a field study, males had higher prolactin levels during the breeding season than during the nonbreeding season. Thus, prolactin secretion in the polygynous striped mouse might be regulated by environmental stimuli, whereas social stimuli might be important for monogamous species. This is the first study to demonstrate seasonal changes in prolactin levels in a free-living male mammal.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Laboring for relevance: expectant and new fatherhood.

The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of expectant and new fatherhood. The grounded theory method was used to gather data from 56 expectant and new fathers. Data were analyzed through the technique of constant comparative analysis. The essence of the experience of expectant and new fatherhood is laboring for relevance which consists of: (a) grappling with the reality of the pregnancy and child; (b) struggling for recognition as a parent from mate, coworkers, friends, family, baby, and society; and (c) plugging away at the role-making of involved fatherhood. Men were not recognized as parents but as helpmates or breadwinners which interfered with validation of the reality of the pregnancy or child. They felt excluded from the childbearing experience by their mates, health care providers, and society. Fathers found themselves without models to assist them in taking on the role of active and involved parent. The findings of this study promote greater understanding of the male experience of expectant and new parenthood and may serve as a beginning for the development of interventions to support and promote paternal behavior.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Bridging the gap: parent-child play interaction and peer interactive competence.

A multimeasure, multicontext study of the relationship between father-child and mother-child play and children's competence with preschool peers was conducted. 13 boys and 14 girls, ages 3-4 years, and their parents participated. Children were videotaped while playing with each parent separately for 20 min in their homes. Children's social competence with their peers was independently evaluated by 3 measures: (1) rankings of preschool teachers of popularity with peers, (2) Q-sort ratings of children's competence by their teachers, and (3) assessments of social interaction with 3 different preschool peers on separate occasions. Differential patterns of maternal and paternal behavior were associated with the social competence of boys and girls. Paternal physical play, engagement, and maternal verbal behavior were positively related to children's peer relations, especially for boys. Paternal directiveness was negatively related to popularity for boys and girls, while maternal directiveness was positively linked with popularity for girls. Opportunities for learning to regulate affect are hypothesized to contribute to these relationships. The study illustrates the linkages between family and peer social systems.

Affect↗