Received January 03, 2021
Accepted July 06, 2021

Background: Fathers are essential elements in family health, but are often overlooked in the health system and do not have the necessary information resources about caring for their infants and spouses. In this regard, understanding the characteristics or predictors of paternal adaptation can help health care providers design and implement interventions for promoting paternal adaptation. Purpose: The present study aimed to determine the paternal adaptation and related factors in Iranian fathers. Methods: The present research was a cross-sectional study in which the research units were 298 fathers who visited 41 comprehensive health centers in Rasht. The sampling method was stratified and each comprehensive health center was considered as a class. We measured the paternal adaptation using the standardized paternal adaptation questionnaire (PAQ) with 38 items and 5 domains. Results: The results indicated that the paternal adaptation scores were statistically significant in terms of child age, the marriage duration, and history of abortion (P<0.05). The father's age also had a significant inverse correlation with the adaptation scores, and the paternal adaptation score was lower in older fathers (r=-0.115, P= 0.048). Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, the most effective related factors of paternal adoption were the history of an abortion experience, satisfaction with welfare and economic condition, father’s nationality, maternal age, and satisfaction with married life.