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BackgroundThe prevalence of paternal depression in the postnatal period is estimated to be approximately 10 %. Effective partner education during pregnancy has the possibility to prevent postnatal mental health problems and support expectant fathers in their transition to parenthood. This paper describes the protocol of a systematic review that will investigate the effects of prenatal childbirth education for partners of pregnant women particularly on paternal postnatal mental health.Methods/designWe will search the databases of MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ERIC, and CENTRAL, using related search terms such as “partners of pregnant women,” “education,” and “prenatal support.” Searches will be limited to randomized trials. Two review authors will independently screen eligible studies and assess risk of bias. We will report structured summaries of the included studies and conduct meta-analysis.DiscussionPostnatal mental health of fathers is reported to have various effects on the health of the whole family. Therefore, support for expectant fathers is an important issue in the maternal and perinatal health-care system. However, resources on prenatal childbirth education for partners of pregnant women remain limited. The results of this review will provide evidence for prenatal education programs for expectant fathers.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42015017919Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13643-016-0199-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.