Abstract
Early paternal involvement in infant care is beneficial to child and maternal health, and possibly for paternal mental health. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between fathers’ involvement in early infant parenting and their depressive symptoms during the infant’s first year in a sample of 881 low-income Black, Hispanic, and White fathers recruited from five sites in the United States (urban, mixed urban/suburban, rural). Home interviews at 1 month after birth assessed three concepts based on prior research and community input: (1) time spent with the infant, (2) parenting self-efficacy, (3) material support for the baby. Paternal depressive symptoms at 1, 6, and 12 months after the birth of a child were assessed with the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. Generalized estimating equations tested whether the three indicators of father involvement at 1 month after birth predicted lower subsequent paternal depressive symptoms controlling for social and demographic variables. For fathers, greater time spent with the infant, parenting self-efficacy, and material support were all significantly associated with lower paternal depressive symptoms during the first year. When risk of depression (scores > 9) was examined, only parenting self-efficacy among fathers was associated with higher likelihood of clinical depression. Findings have implications for future research on mechanisms linking paternal involvement and paternal mental health, and for possible paid paternal leave policies in the future.
Highlights
Paternal depressive symptoms following the birth of a child are a topic of increasing interest [1, 2]
Based on previous conceptualizations of father involvement, this study focused on three aspects of involvement – the amount of time fathers spent with the infant, parenting self-efficacy, and the father’s provision of material support for the baby– in predicting paternal depression over the first year after the birth of a child
This study examined the correspondence between early paternal involvement with a newborn infant at one month after birth and paternal depressive symptoms nearly one year later within a community sample of low-income and ethnically diverse fathers from five areas of the U.S We found that fathers who spent more time with their infants, had greater parenting self-efficacy, and provided more material support for the baby one month after the birth reported significantly lower depressive symptoms when the child was one year of age
Summary
Paternal depressive symptoms following the birth of a child are a topic of increasing interest [1, 2]. The prevalence of prenatal and Father Involvement and Depressive Symptoms postnatal depression among fathers is approximately twice as high as the prevalence of depression among men in general [6]. The substantial proportion of fathers experiencing postpartum depression has important implications for fathers, who deserve attention, and for maternal and child health and well-being [7, 8]. Fathers often exert a strong influence on family life and functioning [9], and paternal depressive symptoms have been associated with adverse child and maternal mental health outcomes such as depression and psychiatric disorders [4, 10,11,12,13]. The present study incorporates fathers and their experiences into our understanding of the family unit during the time following a birth
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
