Factors related to the intra-partner postnatal sense of security in a Spanish sample Silvia Escribano a , Antonio Oliver-Roig a, ⁎, Antoni Cano-Climent b , Miguel Richart-Martínez a , Rocio Juliá-Sanchis a a Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Alicante (Spain) Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain b Hospital General d'Ontinyent, Conselleria de Sanitat Universal i Salut Pública Av/ Francisco Cerda, 3, 46870 Ontinyent, Valencia, Spain abstract article info Article history: Received 20 June 2019 Revised 27 November 2019 Accepted 1 December 2019 Available online xxxx Background: The fathers' sense of security and their related factors during the process of parenthood remains largely unexplored. The objectives were to analyse: the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Parent's Postnatal Sense of Security scale used for fathers, and the factors related to fathers' sense of security during the postpartum period. Methods: A total of 583 fathers participated. The fathers' version of the questionnaire was adapted for Spanish speakers. The psychometric properties of the instrument and its relationship with the mother's sense of security were considered. Findings: The results showed that the data fit well with the original model (TLI = 0.98, CFI = 0.98, and RMSEA = 0.05). The fathers' sense of security was associated with previously having become a father (t = -2.39, p = .02), the level of state anxiety (r = -0.34; p b .01) and trait anxiety (r = -0.24; p b .01), as well as the sense of se- curity of their partners (r = 0.55, p b .001). In the regression analysis, the mothers' sense of security construct provided the greatest explanation of the model. Discussion: The results of this study highlight the importance of considering the family unit in pre-, intra-, and postnatal education in order to increase the sense of security of both parents and reduce their anxiety levels. Application to practice: This study provides Spanish healthcare professionals with access to a scale for assessing fathers' sense of security in the immediate postpartum period and allows them to identify needs in the process of becoming parents, emphasising the inclusion of both parents in any intervention. © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Anxiety Intra-partner Father Postpartum Sense of security Introduction In Western countries couples have high expectations about the par- ticipation of fathers, both as partners and parents, in the process of healthcare provision during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (Persson, Fridlund, Kvist, & Dykes, 2012; Persson & Kvist, 2014). However, as stated in a recent metasynthesis, fathers' experience of maternity care services is as “not as a visitor and not as a patient” (Steen, Downe, Bamford, & Edozien, 2012). Fathers often feel displaced and uninformed from earliest stages (de Montigny, Lacharité, & Devault, 2012; Pålsson, Persson, Ekelin, Kristensson, & Kvist, 2017; Wells, 2016). In line with this perception, fathers in the Spanish context consider that this is because of the rigidity of perinatal hospital practices, which do not focus on meeting individual and family psychological needs (Garcia-Calvente et al., 2010; Maroto, Castaño, García, Hidalgo, & Mateo, 2009), thus increasing their levels of anxiety and influencing their sense of security (Persson & Kvist, 2014). Mothers' sense of security, as well as the provision of professional support (and resulting sense of confidence), is usually prioritised over that of fathers (Werner-Bierwisch, Pinkert, Niessen, Metzing, & Hellmers, 2018). When their sense of security is low, fathers try to hide their feelings in order to support their partners (Premberg, Hellström, & Berg, 2008). However, the support and involvement of fa- thers is an essential factor in their own welfare as well as that of the mother and child (Pålsson et al., 2017). Fathers cannot support their partner effectively in achieving the ideal transition to a successful preg- nancy, joyful birth, and positive parenthood experience unless they are themselves supported, included, and prepared for the reality of risk and uncertainty in pregnancy, labour, and parenthood and for their role in this context (Steen et al., 2012). From the individual perspective, security is a basic human need that demands to be satisfied (Kauffmann, 1973; Maslow, 1987). One's sense Journal of Pediatric Nursing xxx (xxxx) xxx ⁎ Corresponding author at: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciencies, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain. E-mail addresses: silvia.escribano@ua.es (S. Escribano), antonio.oliver@gcloud.ua.es (A. Oliver-Roig), m.richart@ua.es (M. Richart-Martínez), rjulia@ua.es (R. Juliá-Sanchis). YJPDN-02117; No of Pages 7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2019.12.001 0882-5963/© 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Pediatric Nursing journal homepage: www.pediatricnursing.org Please cite this article as: S. Escribano, A. Oliver-Roig, A. Cano-Climent, et al., Factors related to the intra-partner postnatal sense of security in a Spanish sample, Journal of Pediatric Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2019.12.001