Does Fathers' Prenatal Mental Health Bear a Relationship to Parenting Stress at 6 Months?

Skjøthaug, Thomas; Smith, Lars; Wentzel‐Larsen, Tore; Moe, Vibeke

doi:10.1002/imhj.21739

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…For example, Opacka-Juffry and Mohiyeddini (2012) found that ACEs are negatively related to oxytocin system functioning in adult men, suggesting increased susceptibility to stress. Moreover, it has been shown that ACEs among fathers bear a relation with depressive and anxious feelings during pregnancy ( Skjothaug et al, 2015 ), as well as with parenting stress at 6 months ( Skjothaug et al, 2018 ). Future studies should investigate whether fathers’ attachment style may be a mediating mechanism in the pathway between ACEs and later paternal stress, as was shown among mothers in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Multiple Determinants of Maternal Parenting Stress 12 Months After Birth: The Contribution of Antenatal Attachment Style, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Infant Temperament

et al. 2018

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Parenting stress can influence caregiving behavior negatively, which in turn may harm children’s development. Identifying precursors of parenting stress, preferably beginning during pregnancy and throughout the first year of life, is therefore important. The present study aims to provide novel knowledge on this issue through a detailed examination of the association between maternal attachment style and later parenting stress. Moreover, we examine the role of several additional risk factors, specificially the mothers’ own adverse childhood experiences (ACE), as well as infants’ temperamental characteristics. Data from a community based longitudinal study of 1,036 Norwegian mothers, collected during pregnancy and 12 months after childbirth, were used. Results showed that attachment style in pregnancy predicted parenting stress 1 year after birth. In addition, it was demonstrated that the mothers’ own ACEs predicted postnatal parenting stress, and that attachment style operated as a mediator of this association. A significant association between perceived infant temperament and parenting stress was also found. The study illustrates the importance of understanding the multifactorial antecedents of parenting stress. The results may inform early intervention efforts aimed at supporting mothers and their partners in the potentially difficult transition period around childbirth.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Multiple Determinants of Maternal Parenting Stress 12 Months After Birth: The Contribution of Antenatal Attachment Style, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Infant Temperament

et al. 2018

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“…Fathers who reported several such experiences had more depressive symptoms and anxiety before birth of the child than those with lower scores. We also found that paternal symptoms of anxiety and depression during pregnancy as well as their own adverse childhood experiences predicted stress and a negative perception of the infants’ behaviour 55. In a similar vein, we investigated the multiple determinants of mothers’ parenting stress and found that partner attachment style assessed prenatally was a salient predictor of such stress 12 months after birth 18.…”

Section: Patient and Public Involvement Statementmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…The most important findings generated by the cohort so far can be summarised in three main domains. The first domain concerns parental mental health functioning in the perinatal period and factors related to parental anxiety, depression and stress in mothers and fathers 18 22 54 55. The second domain is directed towards child functioning and early detection of infants and toddlers at risk,23 51 52 56 while the third domain concerns maternal nutrition during pregnancy and its possible relation to early child development 32 57 58…”

Section: Patient and Public Involvement Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A related concern is selective attrition, as dropout was shown to be related to depressive symptoms 23 54. However, appropriate statistical methods have been used to minimise the effect of selective attrition in papers based on this study population 18 22 23 54 55. In publications where multiple assessments over time have been included, based on both mother, father, and in some instances child data, we have used a structural equation (SEM) framework 18 22 23 54.…”

Section: Patient and Public Involvement Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…FIML is regarded as a state-of-the-art missing data technique, providing unbiased parameter estimates under the missing at random (MAR) assumptions while at the same time providing high statistical power of the analyses 60. In another paper, we used mixed effects models that gives valid results under the MAR assumption for the repeated measurements 55. Several assessments were based on self-report.…”

Section: Patient and Public Involvement Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Little in Norway: a prospective longitudinal community-based cohort from pregnancy to child age 18 months

et al. 2019

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PurposeThe Little in Norway (LiN) project is a cross-disciplinary prospective longitudinal study starting in pregnancy. It was set up to investigate maternal and paternal mental health functioning in the transition to parenthood, detect pathways to healthy and aberrant child development and generate new knowledge about mechanisms underlying differential child mental health susceptibility.ParticipantsThe LiN cohort is a community-based sample comprising 1036 families (1036 mothers, 884 partners, 1017 children). All pregnant women and their partners receiving routine prenatal care at well-baby clinics at nine geographically selected sites across Norway were invited to participate. Enrolment took place from September 2011 to October 2012. This cohort profile comprises 10 data collection waves spanning from enrolment in pregnancy until child age 18 months.Findings to dateFour types of information have been collected: multi-informant questionnaire reports, direct observation of interaction, test data and biological samples. The most significant findings so far relate to three domains of results. First, when examining risk factors for parental mental health problems, results showed that the parents’ own adverse childhood experiences and attachment style were related to anxiety, depression and stress in the perinatal period. The perception of difficult child temperament was also found to contribute to parenting stress in the first year after birth. Second, we studied how parental mental health risk factors were related to later child development and social emotional functioning, for example, linking maternal symptoms to social-emotional outcomes and paternal symptoms to language outcomes. Third, we investigated the relation between maternal nutrition during pregnancy and aspects of early child development. Results showed that mild to moderate maternal iodine deficiency in pregnancy was associated with poorer language skills up to 18 months, but not with reduced cognitive or fine and gross motor skills.Future plansA data collection point at 36 months is completed and currently being analysed. A new data collection wave is planned when the children are 8 years of age.Trial registration numberISRCTN66710572.

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Antecedents of fathers’ perception of child behavior at child age 12 months

Skjøthaug

Smith

Wentzel‐Larsen

et al. 2020

Infant Mental Health Journal

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This study investigates whether fathers’ adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and attachment style reported during pregnancy predict fathers’ perception of child behavior assessed 12 months postpartum, expressed by the Parenting Stress Index (PSI), Child Domain. Prospective fathers (N = 835) were recruited to “The Little in Norway (LiN) study” (Moe & Smith) at nine well‐baby clinics in Norway, with data collection composed of five time points during pregnancy and two time points postpartum (6 and 12 months). The main analyses included linear regression, path‐analysis modeling, and intraclass correlation based on mixed effects modeling. First, linear regression analyses showed that neither fathers’ ACE nor attachment style significantly predicted perceived child behavior postpartum directly. Furthermore, path analyses showed that ACE and less secure attachment style (especially avoidant attachment) measured early in pregnancy strongly predicted negatively perceived child behavior, mediated by fathers’ mental health symptoms during pregnancy and partner disharmony postpartum. Second, intraclass correlation analyses showed that fathers’ perceived child behavior showed substantial stability between 6 and 12 months postpartum. Family interventions beginning in pregnancy may be most beneficial given that fathers’ early experiences and perceptions of attachment in pregnancy were associated with later partner disharmony and stress.

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Does Fathers' Prenatal Mental Health Bear a Relationship to Parenting Stress at 6 Months?

Cited by 25 publications

References 88 publications

The Multiple Determinants of Maternal Parenting Stress 12 Months After Birth: The Contribution of Antenatal Attachment Style, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Infant Temperament

The Multiple Determinants of Maternal Parenting Stress 12 Months After Birth: The Contribution of Antenatal Attachment Style, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Infant Temperament

Little in Norway: a prospective longitudinal community-based cohort from pregnancy to child age 18 months

Antecedents of fathers’ perception of child behavior at child age 12 months

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