{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T05:54:42Z","timestamp":1790747682869,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790726400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Infant-directed singing (ID singing) is a powerful phenomenon with well-established clinical applications for infants and parents. Existing research, however, focuses primarily on mothers, leaving a critical gap in the literature.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study explores fathers\u2019 experiences singing with their infants, specifically examining how fathers engage in and perceive singing to their infant; the factors that influence fathers\u2019 singing; and how, if at all, singing influences father-infant bonding. Semi-structured interviews with thirteen fathers were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Fathers in this study sang intuitively, expressively, and responsively to their infants. They perceived singing as a predominantly positive experience that regulated their emotions, although they also described occasional challenges with singing. Fathers\u2019 singing was influenced by their heritage, spouse, and fatherhood role. While fathers expressed some uncertainty regarding singing\u2019s immediate influence on father-infant bonding, many hoped music could help them relate to their child in the future.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Though findings align with previous research on maternal ID singing, participants\u2019 accounts highlighted distinct aspects of their ID singing experiences. In order to meet fathers\u2019 unique needs and promote equitable family-centered care, interventionists must account for fathers\u2019 experiences when designing music interventions. Implications for music interventions and recommendations for future father-infant musicality research are discussed.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1922180","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T04:55:39Z","timestamp":1790744139000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Fathers\u2019 experiences singing to their infants: an interpretative phenomenological analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Kara N.","family":"Caine","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Music Education and Music Therapy, University of Kansas","place":["Lawrence, KS, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"247","DOI":"10.1111\/cdep.12347","article-title":"Birth of a father: fathering in the first 1,000 days","volume":"13","author":"Bakermans-Kranenburg","year":"2019","journal-title":"Child Dev. 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