La relation d’accompagnement entre des jeunes pères et des infirmières dans les SIPPE : une analyse sensible au genre
Nursing practice in early childhood interventions with teen mothers aged less than 20 years and their babies involves many challenges for nurses who experience difficulties in establishing relationships with young fathers in these socially vulnerable conditions. Nursing interventions are mainly directed to the mother-child dyad, whilst nurses tend to feel less prepared to assist young fathers in their paternal role. Recent studies have suggested that further research explore how gender shapes nurse-father relationships, particularly in primary care services. This qualitative study describes, from a gender-sensitive perspective, the interplay of identity and role in young father-nurse relationships within an early childhood intervention programme in Québec, Canada (SIPPE – Services intégrés en périnatalité et en petite enfance). A secondary analysis of 34 semi-structured interview data collected from young fathers and nurses within a larger multi-centre evaluative research of a Young Parents Programme (YPP), a component of SIPPE, was conducted. Qualitative and comparative content analyses of both young fathers’ and nurses’ discourse, followed by systemic modelling, highlight how identity conceptions and contextual dynamics intersect in the YPP nurse-father relationship. Their relationship is primarily focussed on the exchange of information about child care. Differential representations of paternal identity (caring and engaged vs. incompetent), perceived reliability and capabilities as fathers, partners and young men, and nurses’ supervisory role also shape the relationship. When young fathers are perceived as responsible and protective of both young mothers and their child, they tend to become nurse allies, over time, although they remain under supervision. Other contributions of this study suggest that nurses ought to go beyond informational support, to include emotional support in their interventions with young fathers who, in turn, must be more fully considered in programs and services dedicated to vulnerable families. Finally, this research highlights the relevance of a gender-sensitive perspective to capture the relational dynamics of nursing care and to develop nursing practice.
Nursing practice Early childhood interventions Young fathers Gender-sensitive perspective Systemic modelling Social vulnerability