Exploring men’s alcohol consumption in the context of becoming a father: A scoping review
The role of men in supporting alcohol-free pregnancies has
been largely ignored. For some men, the transition to fatherhood may present a
teachable moment when they evaluate their health behaviours and adopt a
healthier lifestyle. However, other new fathers may continue to consume alcohol
in the pre- and post-natal period as a form of “hedonistic” escape and a way to
maintain social bonds. It is important to explore men’s experiences of alcohol
consumption in the context of new fatherhood and to design tailored,
gender-sensitive interventions to support men to reduce or quit drinking. This
scoping review is the first comprehensive synthesis of research on the impact
of becoming a father on men’s alcohol consumption and on the effectiveness of
existing interventions to reduce drinking among new fathers.
This scoping review will follow a six-stage scoping review framework,
developed by Arksey and O’Malley, and Levac et al. It will include published
and unpublished empirical studies focusing on new fathers’ experiences of
alcohol consumption and the feasibility/effectiveness of interventions to
address alcohol consumption in new fathers. Relevant articles will be obtained
by searching the following databases: Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science,
PsychInfo. Reference lists of included articles will be hand searched. Key
information from included studies will be extracted into evidence tables. Data
will be charted according to the review research questions. A steering group of
academics, practitioners and third sector representatives will advise on the
academic and policy implications of the review results.
