Personality, Social Support and Marital Satisfaction as Correlates of Paternal Post-natal Depression

Abstract

This study aimed to determine if personality, social support and marital satisfaction influence paternal post-natal depression. The study used descriptive- correlational design, where in data from 300 respondents gathered through purposive sampling were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The respondents’ personality in term of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness was high while neuroticism was moderate. Social support from the wife in terms of emotional, informational was high and instrumental was very high. Further, social support from the mother in terms of emotional was high but informational and instrumental support was moderate. Furthermore, social support from the respondents’ father in terms of emotional, informational and instrumental support was moderate. On the other hand, social support of the siblings in terms of emotional and informational support was also moderate but instrumental support was low. The respondents enjoy a satisfactory married life and paternal post-natal depression was low. Personality in term of agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness were significantly related to paternal post- natal depression. Neuroticism was positively related to paternal post-natal depression but extraversion was not significantly related to paternal post-natal depression. Further, social support in terms of wife’s emotional, mother’s emotional, informational and instrumental support, father informational and instrumental support as well the siblings informational have a significant relationship with paternal post-natal depression. Furthermore, marital satisfaction had a significant relationship with paternal post-natal depression. Moreover, there was no significant difference on the respondent’s level of post- natal depression when age, education, gross family income, parity and the age of the youngest child were considered. Conscientiousness, neuroticism, informational support from the mother and the respondents’ marital satisfaction predicted paternal post-natal depression.