Hormonal changes in first-time human fathers in relation to paternal investment.

ABSTRACT: In many biparental species, males experience hormonal changes across the transition to fatherhood that prepare them for their new caregiving role. In humans, cross-sectional comparisons have revealed hormonal differences between fathers and nonfathers, however it is not clear when hormone levels change in new fathers, how such changes relate to paternal involvement and attachment, or even whether men with particular hormonal profiles are more likely to become fathers. In this longitudinal study, we aimed to elucidate the trajectory of hormonal changes in new fathers with greater temporal resolution than previous studies, and to provide further insight into the direction of causality between hormone levels and paternal behavior by asking whether hormone levels predict behavior at subsequent

SUBMITTER: Rilling JK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12424031 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature