A content analysis of mothers' online communications of their partner's paternal postnatal depression

Abstract

Research has increasingly focused on fathers' experiences of maternal postnatal depression (PND), but there is little information on mothers' experiences of paternal PND. Given that men are not routinely assessed or diagnosed with PND, the aim of this study was to understand how mothers describe their experiences of living with fathers who they presume to be experiencing paternal PND. This study used content analysis of online forum posts written by mothers on two UK parenting sites. Two themes are presented: mothers consider their partner to have PND due to his sudden behaviour changes and/or a lack of bonding with the baby; and women expect fathers to seek help when PND is suspected, with mothers feeling unsupported and in need of help. Mothers suspect paternal PND when they observe behavioural, emotional and character changes in fathers, as well as difficulties with father–infant bonding. Mothers seek advice on their situation based on a sense of helplessness. Among women more generally, fathers are expected to seek help for their mental health, usually from their GP. Conversely, women are advised to seek advice from their health visitor when they are concerned about their partner's mental health.