Paternal coping and psychopathology during the perinatal period: A mixed studies systematic review and meta-analysis

Livingston, Julianne D.; Youssef, George; StGeorge, Jennifer; Wynter, Karen; Dowse, Eileen; Francis, Lauren M.; Manno, Laura Di; Teague, Samantha; Demmer, David H.; Collins, Sam; Wilford, Emily; Leach, Liana; Melvin, Glenn

doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102028

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…The picture is less clear regarding relationships between psychological distress and approach-oriented strategies that orient men toward stressors, such as planning, positive reframing, and acceptance. For these, there is mixed empirical support for the theoretically intuitive assumption that approach strategies are adaptive and associated with lower distress ( 15 , 17 , 18 ). Research focused on men's relative use of approach and avoidant coping strategies within their broader coping repertoires may help further understanding of links between coping and psychological distress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hidden in Plain Sight? Men's Coping Patterns and Psychological Distress Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2022

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Individuals cope with stress using multiple strategies, yet studies of coping profiles are rare. We draw data from a longitudinal study of Australian men (n = 272; 30–37 years), assessed before (T1) and during (T2) a nation-wide COVID-19 lockdown. We aimed to: (1) identify men's multi-strategy coping profiles before and during the pandemic; (2) assess cross-sectional (T1-T1, T2-T2) and prospective (T1-T2) associations between profiles and symptoms of psychological distress (stress, anxiety, depression, and anger); and (3) examine relationships between coping profiles and appraisals of pandemic-related stressors and options for coping. In latent profile analyses of 14 coping strategies, three profiles emerged that were largely consistent across T1 and T2: (1) Relaxed Copers (low use of all strategies), (2) Approach Copers, and (3) Dual Copers (high avoidant and moderate-high approach-oriented strategies). Compared to Relaxed and Approach Copers, men who were Dual Copers had elevated psychological distress cross-sectionally before (T1) and during (T2) the pandemic, but not prospectively. Post hoc analyses suggested this was because many men changed coping profiles in the context of the pandemic. Men with stable (T1-T2) or new (T2 only) Dual Coping profiles experienced greater psychological distress and more negative appraisals of pandemic stressors and options for coping. In sum, at the sample level, the composition of men's coping profiles and associations with mental health risk were relatively stable over time and contexts; however, many men appeared to respond to pandemic conditions by changing coping profile groups, with mostly positive mental health outcomes. Of concern were men who adopted more avoidant strategies (e.g., denial, self-distraction, disengagement, substance use, and self-blame) under pandemic conditions. These Dual Coper men also engaged in commonly observable approach-oriented behaviours (e.g., planning, active coping, humour, seeking practical social support) that may mask their vulnerability to mental health risk. Our findings highlight the clinical importance of enquiring about escalating or frequent avoidant coping even in the presence of more active and interactive approach-oriented behaviours.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hidden in Plain Sight? Men's Coping Patterns and Psychological Distress Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2022

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“…Across the breadth of self-initiated coping strategies surveyed, those most often mentioned were efforts to adapt socially through transitioning to digital communication, alongside staying occupied with or without screens, exercising, and connecting with nature or otherwise leaving the house. Noteworthy mental health stressors and coping findings are contextualized in line with existing understanding around masculinity (Seidler et al, 2016), mental health (Richardson et al, 2022) and the burgeoning COVID-19 literature (Greenglass et al, 2021;Livingston et al, 2021;Ogrodniczuk et al, 2021) below.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Exploring this in the context of COVID-19, Cheng et al (2021) reported ostensibly male-specific benefits of approach-oriented (as opposed to avoidance-oriented) coping in reducing the negative effects of social isolation among younger men who report low levels of wellbeing. Livingston et al (2021) recently explored coping profiles among Australian men before and during the pandemic, and reported that so-termed “dual copers,” who utilized a mix of avoidance and approach-oriented coping behaviors, experienced higher levels of psychological distress relative to those who coped using mainly approach-oriented strategies. Given similar positive (approach-oriented) and maladaptive (avoidance-oriented) coping strategies have been reported across studies, often irrespective of the particular stressor under consideration, it could be that the strategies men report to cope with the mental health challenges induced by COVID-19 mirror those identified in past studies.…”

Section: Men’s Coping Strategies During Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

“Appreciate the Little Things”: A Qualitative Survey of Men’s Coping Strategies and Mental Health Impacts During the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2022

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The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a suite of circumstances that will simultaneously affect mental health and mobilize coping strategies in response. Building on a lack of research specifically exploring men’s mental health impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study presents the results of a qualitative survey exploring men’s self-reported aspects of the pandemic giving rise to mental health challenges, alongside their diverse coping strategies applied during this time. The sample comprised 555 men from North America (age M = 38.8 years; SD = 13.5 years), who participated via an online survey with two open-ended qualitative questions assessing, respectively, the aspects of the pandemic affecting their mental health, and the strategies used to manage these challenges. Free-text responses were coded using inductive content analysis. Results pertaining to the mental health impacts of COVID-19 were categorized into two overarching themes: far-reaching ramifications of COVID-19 encompassing consequences for lifestyle, work, and functioning, alongside novel anxieties related to health risks and daily uncertainty. In addition, coping strategies reported were categorized into two broad themes: efforts to avoid, dull or distract oneself from distress, alongside adapting and doing things differently, which encompassed largely approach-oriented efforts to flexibly ameliorate distress. Results signal the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19, alongside profound flexibility and diverse enactments of resilience among men in adapting to unprecedented challenges. Findings have implications for mental health promotion that should aim to leverage men's adaptive coping to encourage opportunities for social connectedness in response to the mental health impacts of the various psychosocial challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“…Examples reported include men's preference for gender-segregated parenting roles [73][74][75] and men prioritizing work commitments to ensure the provision of basic needs and expenses [76]. Additional beliefs that were barriers to recruitment include stigma or fear of judgment by others [77]; a generalized avoidance of health and mental health providers [78][79][80][81][82][83] and rigidly held hegemonic masculine beliefs about accepting assistance from others (e.g., avoidance of vulnerability, dependence, and emotionality; the fierce need for independence and persevering without help) [30,[84][85][86][87]. Culture-based mistrust of health and intervention providers also is reported as higher for fathers, relative to mothers, and especially among BIPOC fathers [88][89][90].…”

Section: Barriers Linked To Family and Father Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recruiting Perinatal Fathers to Interventions and Research: A Conceptual Model of Engagement and Integrative Review of Barriers Encountered and Strategies Used

Holmberg¹

2022

OBM ICM

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The perinatal period represents a unique developmental window for families and an opportunity to reach and engage fathers in research and preventive interventions. The distinctiveness of this period stems from the changes and stressors that parents experience which affect their openness to enroll in interventions (e.g., adaptive parenting, physical and mental health, relationship skills, and economic self-sufficiency) and participate in research. While long understudied, paternal research in the perinatal period has flourished in the past decade. Recent studies find that fathers struggle with the transition to parenting and report increased health and mental health problems during this time; but, compared to mothers, they are less likely to enroll in supportive services. Intervention programs and research studies have found recruiting, engaging, and retaining fathers is difficult due to factors such as men’s low knowledge of and openness to the use of available support resources as well as logistical, internalized, and program-level barriers. Aside from a few quasi-experimental studies on the impact of altering advertisement text to specifically state they are recruiting fathers, little systematic study of or conclusive evidence for the effectiveness of paternal recruitment strategies has been published. To frame future work, this manuscript first offers a conceptual model of phases of paternal engagement and the factors believed to impact father recruitment. Secondly, this paper summarizes, the predominantly anecdotal, previous publications on barriers faced and strategies found to be helpful in paternal recruitment and engagement.

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Paternal coping and psychopathology during the perinatal period: A mixed studies systematic review and meta-analysis

Cited by 12 publications

References 86 publications

Hidden in Plain Sight? Men's Coping Patterns and Psychological Distress Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hidden in Plain Sight? Men's Coping Patterns and Psychological Distress Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“Appreciate the Little Things”: A Qualitative Survey of Men’s Coping Strategies and Mental Health Impacts During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Recruiting Perinatal Fathers to Interventions and Research: A Conceptual Model of Engagement and Integrative Review of Barriers Encountered and Strategies Used

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