Profiles of Depressive Symptoms and Anger in Men: Associations With Postpartum Family Functioning

Abstract

Background: Evidence suggests that men commonly experience depression as feelings of anger; yet, research has not investigated what this means for the manifestation of depressive symptoms in the early years of fatherhood and for key indicators of family functioning.Methods: Using data from a longitudinal cohort study of men at the normative age for entering fatherhood (28–32 years), we conducted latent class analyses to identify patterns of depressive symptoms and 3 sub-types of state anger (feeling; verbal; physical). We then assessed whether class membership was associated with paternity status (n = 535). In a subsample of fathers of infants aged up to 18 months (n = 162), we prospectively assessed associations with paternal-infant bonding, co-parenting, perceived social support, paternal involvement in childcare and alcohol use up to 2 years later.Results: Five classes emerged that differentiated men by anger and depressive symptom severity and by the degree to which men endorsed the feeling of wanting to express anger physically. Compared to the reference class with minimal symptoms, fathers had a higher probability of being in either the mild or most severe symptom classes. Men in symptomatic classes were at higher risk of lower levels of social support, co-parenting problems, and paternal-infant bonds. Class membership was not associated with alcohol use or paternal involvement in childcare.Conclusions: Our results reveal patterns of co-existing symptoms of depression and anger in fathers of infants that will be relevant to men's own need for support, their family safety, partner mental health and child developmental outcomes.

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

“…Total subscale scores were doubled for comparison with standardised norms for the 42-item DASS ( normal, mild, moderate, severe, very severe ) [normal, mild, moderate, severe, very severe; ( 30 )]. State anger (i.e., present feelings and urges of anger) was measured because of its association with depression severity in men ( 16 ), including in MAPP participants ( 31 ). We used the 15-item state anger subscale of the state-trait anger expression inventory (STAXI-2; Spielberger, 1999).…”

“…Table 1 presents descriptive statistics for the sample and changes in psychological distress over time. Mean age at T1 was 32 years (range 30-35), and at T2 was 34 years (range [31][32][33][34][35][36][37]. At T1, most participants had completed post-secondary education, were in paid employment, and in a relationship.…”

Parent and Peer Attachments in Adolescence and Paternal Postpartum Mental Health: Findings From the ATP Generation 3 Study

“…Our research suggests that adolescent boys might benefit differentially from different components of relationships (i.e., trust in peers and mothers and communication with fathers). Additionally, given evidence that male mental health problems, including paternal depression, often present with increased levels of anger (Macdonald et al, 2020), a focus on male-specific preventative targets may also have flow on effects for partners and children if they improve family harmony and reduce conflict.…”

Cohort profile: the Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study: a longitudinal Australian cohort study of men’s mental health and well-being at the normative age for first-time fatherhood

“…The first longitudinal analysis using MAPP data from waves 1 to 3 was published in 2020. 69 We reported on five distinct class profiles of MAPP men in the ongoing sample at wave 1 that characterised their patterns of depressive symptom severity and presentations of state anger (feeling angry, feeling verbally angry or feeling physically angry). Four of the classes demonstrated symptom patterns that indicated psychological risk.…”