The effect of breastfeeding education with digital storytelling on fathers' breastfeeding self-efficacy.

Rationale: There is growing evidence that fathers play an important role in the breastfeeding process and that fathers need education about breastfeeding. In our age of rapidly developing technology, the use of new teaching techniques in the education of fathers will provide more effective results.

Aims: In this study, the effect of breastfeeding education given with digital storytelling method on fathers' breastfeeding self-efficacy was examined.

Methods: The study is a pretest-posttest randomized controlled trial. The study was conducted with the husbands of 80 pregnant women admitted to the childbirth preparation class of a state hospital. The study included a control group and an intervention of educational videos using a digital storytelling technique. Fathers were recruited from hospital antenatal classes and randomized to one of the two groups. Personal Information Form and Paternal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form were used for data collection. Each father completed data collection forms at the beginning of the study and at 3 months postpartum. The η² effect size was calculated for significant differences in the independent and dependent groups t test methods used in the analysis.

Results: There was a significant difference between the posttest scores of the fathers in the intervention and control groups (p < 0.05). When the effect sizes were analysed, it was found that the increase in the intervention group (t = -24.342) was higher than the control group (t = -8.385).

Conclusion: In the current study, the effect of using digital storytelling method in breastfeeding education on fathers' breastfeeding self-efficacy was found to be significantly higher than routine education. It is recommended that this new method be used in education and counselling and that studies be conducted to examine its effect on breastfeeding behaviour and fathers' breastfeeding support.