In 2022, Japanese legisla/on was amended to facilitate greater access to parental leave for men, resul/ng in a growingnumber of fathers using it. Although taking paternity leave can be beneficial for men, it may also create emo/onal challenges for couples.
This study aimed to iden/fy the emo/onal challenges and coping strategies experienced by first-/me parents during the paternity leave, with the goal of developing preparatory programs for couples considering taking such leave.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with both partners(in 2024) in couples having their first child, in which the father had taken at least four weeks of parental leave. The data were analyzed qualita/vely. This study was approved by the ethics commiJee of the affiliated university.
The study included 54 par1cipants from 27 couples, with fathers taking an average of 91 (± 73) days of parental leave.
