Mothers’ understanding of and attitudes towards providing support for paternal post-partum depression

Abstract

Although paternal post-partum depression (PPD) significantly impacts the mental wellbeing of fathers and their families, there are many barriers to fathers being assessed and supported for PPD. Given mothers are positioned both close to fathers and healthcare services, we employed mixed-methods to investigate mothers’ potential role in facilitating fathers’ recognition of and help-seeking for PPD. In Study 1, 189 mothers in Australia (M age = 35.0, 78.9% Australian-European) completed an online survey assessing mothers’ levels of mental health literacy regarding paternal PPD. Results showed that 86.8% of mothers correctly recognized paternal PPD, 84.7% recommended professional help options, and almost all mothers were either likely or very likely to recommend professional help-seeking. In Study 2, 15 Australian mothers (M age = 37.4, 93.3% Australian-European) participated in qualitative interviews to explore mothers’ willingness and capacity to facilitate fathers’ recognition of and support for paternal PPD. Findings suggested that mothers’ capacity and willingness to adopt this facilitative role may be undermined by poor-quality partner relationships, the all-encompassing experience of early motherhood, and stigma regarding men's mental health; however, certain health care practices could target such barriers. Together, these findings have important implications for policy and practice regarding paternal PPD and family support.