Paternity Leave and Family Health: An Integrative Review

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review the literature on paternity leave and family health over the last 10 years. Methods: Nine studies that met the criteria were selected from sixty-four studies. General characteristics, study design, and major findings about paternity leave were analyzed using an established analysis framework. Results: From the integrative review, paternity leave was found to affect the health of fathers, mothers, and children, as well as family health and gender equality. The father’s paternity leave resulted in an increase in mothers’ breast feeding rate, a decrease in maternal depression, a reduction in parenting stress, a reduction in all-cause mortality of men, feelings of instinctive paternal love, increased parenting, skills, and positive parent-child relationships. It was interpreted that paternity leave had a positive effect on the mental and physical health of individual members of the family. Conclusion: This study provides the basic data on the health effects of father’s parental leave on the family system in a holistic view. In addition, this study proposes the direction of paternity leave and family health research and policy needs.restrictio