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Psychosocial risk factors associated with fathers’ mental health in the postnatal period: results from a population-based study

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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Fathers’ psychological distress in the postnatal period can have adverse effects on their children’s wellbeing and development, yet little is known about the factors associated with fathers’ distress. This paper examines a broad range of socio-demographic, individual, infant and contextual factors to identify those associated with fathers’ psychological distress in the first year postpartum.

Methods

Secondary analysis of data from 3,219 fathers participating in the infant cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children at wave 1 when children were 0–12 months of age.

Results

Approximately 10 % of fathers reported elevated symptoms of psychological distress. Logistic regression analyses revealed that the risk factors were poor job quality, poor relationship quality, maternal psychological distress, having a partner in a more prestigious occupation and low parental self-efficacy.

Conclusion

These findings provide new information to guide the assessment of fathers’ risk for psychological distress in postnatal period. There are also important social policy implications related to workplace entitlements and the provision of services for fathers.

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Acknowledgments

This paper uses unit record data from Growing Up in Australia, the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. The study is conducted in partnership between the Australian government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA), the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The findings and views reported are those of the authors and should not be attributed to FaHCSIA, AIFS or the ABS. The authors were supported by funding from the Victorian Government Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, and the National Health & Medical Research Council (JN, Career Development Award 390136; FM, Population Health Capacity Building Grant 436914). All MCRI staff are supported by the Victorian Government’s Operational Infrastructure Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parenting Research Centre, Level 5, 232 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia

    Rebecca Giallo, Fabrizio D’Esposito, Amanda Cooklin, Nina Lucas, Catherine Wade & Jan M. Nicholson

  2. School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

    Rebecca Giallo

  3. Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia

    Fabrizio D’Esposito, Fiona Mensah, Nina Lucas & Jan M. Nicholson

  4. Department of Pediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Fiona Mensah

  5. Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

    Fiona Mensah

Authors
  1. Rebecca Giallo
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  2. Fabrizio D’Esposito
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  4. Fiona Mensah
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  5. Nina Lucas
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  6. Catherine Wade
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  7. Jan M. Nicholson
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Correspondence to Rebecca Giallo.

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Giallo, R., D’Esposito, F., Cooklin, A. et al. Psychosocial risk factors associated with fathers’ mental health in the postnatal period: results from a population-based study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 48, 563–573 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0568-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0568-8

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