Sleep, mental health and wellbeing among fathers of infants up to one year postpartum: A scoping review

Wynter, Karen; Francis, Lauren M.; Fletcher, Richard; McBride, Nyanda; Dowse, Eileen; Wilson, Nathan; Manno, Laura Di; Teague, Samantha

doi:10.1016/j.midw.2020.102738

Cited by 25 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Several qualitative studies of fathers in the perinatal period have identified that fathers wish to be included in perinatal healthcare and engaged by health professionals about their health and wellbeing [ 3 – 6 ]. The demands of reconfiguring roles and identities can be quite confusing and stressful for new fathers [ 7 , 8 ], however, when complications occur, the stress can be extreme with long-term consequences [ 6 , 9 – 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dads in Distress: symptoms of depression and traumatic stress in fathers following poor fetal, neonatal, and maternal outcomes

Kothari

Bruxner

Dulhunty

et al. 2022

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background This study aims to explore the prevalence of symptoms of depression and traumatic stress in fathers in the setting of poor fetal, neonatal, and maternal outcomes. Methods A prospective mixed-methods study was conducted at an outer metropolitan public teaching hospital in Brisbane, Australia, with quantitative results presented here. Subjects included 28 fathers whose male partners had experienced pregnancy or childbirth complicated by a significant congenital abnormality or aneuploidy, termination of pregnancy, fetal death in-utero, stillbirth, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit or special care nursery or significant maternal morbidity, such as a postpartum haemorrhage or an emergency postpartum hysterectomy. These experiences were classified into two groups: anticipatory (time to prepare) and sudden (no warning). The fathers were screened using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) to assess subjective distress at 2-3 weeks (timepoint 1) and 3-4 months (timepoint 2) after the event. Results Data for both the EPDS and IES-R scales was available for 26 fathers (92.9%) at timepoint 1 and for 15 fathers (53.6%) at timepoint 2. High overall EPDS scores (≥10) were noted in 16/27 (59.3%) fathers at timepoint 1 and 6/15 fathers (40.0%) at timepoint 2. High overall IES-R scores ≥33 were noted in 12/26 (46.2%) fathers at timepoint 1 and 4/15 fathers (26.7%) at timepoint 2. A higher percentage of fathers who experienced anticipatory events had EPDS and IES-R score above these cut-offs at timepoint 1 (8/13 or 61.5%) compared to those experiencing sudden events (8/14 or 57.1%), however, percentages were similar between groups at time point 2 (2/7 or 28.6%% and 4/8 or 50.0%, respectively). More fathers who experienced anticipatory events had IES-R scores ≥33 at timepoint 1 (7/13 or 53.8%) compared to those experiencing sudden events (5/14 or 38.0%). Conclusion Our study indicates high rates of distress in fathers exposed to poor fetal, neonatal, and maternal outcomes, which can persist for months after the event. Increased support for fathers in this setting may be required to prevent poor mental health. Further research on the long-term effects of these adverse events is warranted.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dads in Distress: symptoms of depression and traumatic stress in fathers following poor fetal, neonatal, and maternal outcomes

Kothari

Bruxner

Dulhunty

et al. 2022

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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“…Maternal depression, excessive infant crying, and maladjustment to parenthood also impact the mental health of fathers in the post-partum period [ 13 – 15 ]. The feelings of helplessness, fear and abandonment may precipitate anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and ‘sexual scarring’ [ 16 – 18 ]. Exposure to stressful circumstances such as a traumatic event in pregnancy and childbirth may also contribute to depression, acute stress disorder and PTSD in fathers [ 6 , 16 , 19 – 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“It’s a lot of pain you’ve got to hide”: a qualitative study of the journey of fathers facing traumatic pregnancy and childbirth

Kothari

Bruxner

Callaway

et al. 2022

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background This study aims to explore the emotional and behavioural responses and coping strategies of fathers or expectant fathers who faced a significant traumatic event during a partner's pregnancy, labour, or the postpartum period. Methods This prospective qualitative study of 24 fathers was conducted at a public teaching hospital in Brisbane, Australia. ‘Traumatic pregnancy’ was defined as a pregnancy complicated by life-threatening or severe risk to the mother and the fetus, termination of pregnancy, intrauterine fetal death or stillbirth. Semi-structured interviews of participants were conducted 3-4 months after the traumatic event. An initial qualitative analysis with automatic coding was performed using Leximancer and later followed by a six-phase manual thematic analysis. Results A pregnancy-related traumatic event had significant mental and physical impacts on fathers. Participants' reactions and coping strategies were varied and influenced by their background history, pre-existing vulnerabilities, and the gap between expectation and reality. Most fathers described a fluctuating state between their needs 'not being met' and 'being met'. These needs were conceptualised using Maslow’s hierarchy and Calman’s gap theory to construct a composite thematic model to depict the universal requirements of men facing a traumatic pregnancy or childbirth. Conclusions A greater understanding of the needs of men and gaps in their care is urgently needed. A targeted effort is required to make maternity services father-inclusive. This approach may assist in preventing long term consequences on fathers, partners, and their children.

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“…While we know that fathers’ early engagement is beneficial for children’s developmental, psychological, and cognitive outcomes ( Amodia-Bidakowska et al, 2020 ; Behson et al, 2018 ; Rollè et al, 2019 ; Yogman et al, 2016 ), the impacts of fathers’ caregiving engagement on fathers’ own health are largely unknown ( Grau-Grau et al, 2022 ). Previous studies reported that entering parenthood may put men at higher risks of weight gain ( Garfield et al, 2016 ; Rattay & von der Lippe, 2020 ; Saxbe et al, 2018 ; Umberson et al., 2011 ), reduced physical activity ( Pot & Keizer, 2016 ; Rattay & von der Lippe, 2020 ; Saxbe et al, 2018 ), less sleep ( Saxbe et al, 2018 ; Wynter et al, 2020 ), and depression ( Saxbe et al, 2018 ; Wynter et al, 2020 ). Beyond becoming a father, it is unclear if fathers’ level of engagement in infant caregiving plays a role in shaping their weight-related behaviors and mental health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospective Associations Between Fathers’ Engagement in Infant Caregiving and Their Weight-Related Behaviors and Mental Health

Haneuse

McBride

et al. 2022

Am J Mens Health

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Fathers’ engagement in infant caregiving is linked with positive social, emotional, and developmental outcomes in children; however, its relationship with fathers’ own health is largely unknown. This longitudinal study examined associations between fathers’ caregiving engagement with their 6-month-old infants and their physical activity, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, nighttime sleep duration, and depressive symptoms 6 months later when infants were 12 months old. Participants were 143 fathers of infants (62.7% non-Hispanic White, 82.3% with a bachelor’s degree). Fathers reported their frequency of engagement in seven caregiving activities when infants were 6 months old. Fathers’ physical activity, SSB consumption, nighttime sleep duration, and depressive symptoms were assessed when infants were 6 and 12 months old. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess if fathers who reported higher infant caregiving at 6 months had more positive health outcomes at 12 months, controlling for fathers’ age, race/ethnicity, education, employment, household income, and the outcome at 6 months. Fathers who reported higher caregiving engagement when infants were 6 months old had increased odds of being sufficiently physically active 6 months later (unadjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.00, 1.41]; adjusted OR = 1.47, 95% CI = [1.11, 1.96]). No links were identified between fathers’ caregiving engagement and their SSB consumption, nighttime sleep duration, or depressive symptoms. In summary, fathers’ engagement in infant caregiving may be beneficial to their physical activity in the first year after birth. There was insufficient evidence in this study that the benefits of caregiving engagement were experienced broadly across multiple health outcomes.

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Sleep, mental health and wellbeing among fathers of infants up to one year postpartum: A scoping review

Cited by 25 publications

References 66 publications

Dads in Distress: symptoms of depression and traumatic stress in fathers following poor fetal, neonatal, and maternal outcomes

Dads in Distress: symptoms of depression and traumatic stress in fathers following poor fetal, neonatal, and maternal outcomes

“It’s a lot of pain you’ve got to hide”: a qualitative study of the journey of fathers facing traumatic pregnancy and childbirth

Prospective Associations Between Fathers’ Engagement in Infant Caregiving and Their Weight-Related Behaviors and Mental Health

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