TURKISH IMMIGRANT FATHERS’ PRE-BIRTH SUPPORT WITH THEIR SPOUSES AND POST-BIRTH INVOLVEMENT WITH THEIR INFANTS

Abstract Despite the growing visibility of Turks in American society, paternal involvement in the Turkish American population remains largely unknown and undocumented. This study examined (a) paternal reports of Turkish immigrant fathers’ physical and psychological symptoms during their wives’ pregnancy periods, (b) the association between paternal support offered during pregnancy and paternal involvement with infants, (c) differences in paternal support and paternal involvement with infants by gender ideology and immigrant adjustment. This study fills a gap in the Turkish immigrant fathering literature in that it focused on experiences during pregnancy and paternal involvement during the prenatal and postnatal period. Participants included 51 Turkish immigrant fathers in the United States. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed fathers’ physical and psychological symptoms, prenatal paternal support offered to the wife, postnatal paternal involvement with the infant, gender ideology, and immigrant adjustment. Findings indicated that the incidence of Couvade Syndrome was high among Turkish immigrant fathers. There was a strong association between paternal support offered during pregnancy and paternal involvement provided to infants. Fathers who showed a tendency to integrate with American culture reported higher participation in the physical care of infants. Determinants of paternal involvement and paternal support among traditional and nontraditional, high masculine and low masculine fathers are discussed

Development and Pilot Analysis of the Bruise Visibility Scale

Introduction The accuracy of assessing and documenting injuries is crucial to facilitate ongoing clinical care and forensic referrals for victims of violence. The purpose of this cross-sectional, pilot study was to evaluate the inter-rater reliability and criterion validity of a newly developed Bruise Visibility Scale (BVS). Methods: The instrument was administered to a diverse sample (n = 30) with existing bruises. Bruises were assessed under fluorescent lighting typical of an examination room by three raters who were randomly selected from a pool of eight experienced clinical nurses. Colorimetry values of the bruise and surrounding tissue were obtained using a spectrophotometer. Results: The BVS demonstrated good single (ICC = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.54 – 0.84) and average agreement (ICC = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.78 – 0.94) between raters. A significant, positive moderate correlation was found between mean BVS scores and overall color difference between the bruise and surrounding skin (Pearson’s r = 0.614, p  < 0.001). Conclusion: With further research, the BVS has the potential to be a reliable and valid tool for documenting the degree of clarity in bruise appearance