Identifying and supporting men who experience paternal postnatal depression
Intended for healthcare professionals
CPD    

Identifying and supporting men who experience paternal postnatal depression

Caroline Jane Davenport PhD researcher, School of Psychology and Sport Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, England
Viren Swami Professor, School of Psychology and Sport Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To enhance your ability at detecting risk factors and signs of paternal postnatal depression

  • To improve your knowledge and skills in supporting men who experience paternal postnatal depression

  • To contribute towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD (UK readers)

  • To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)

The prevalence of postnatal depression in fathers is likely to be close to the prevalence of postnatal depression in mothers. Beyond the detrimental consequences for the father, paternal postnatal depression negatively affects the well-being of the mother and the development of the child. Paternal postnatal depression is not commonly understood and there is a lack of assessment and support for new fathers experiencing mental health issues, but the importance of paternal mental health is increasingly recognised. Expertise around paternal postnatal depression is likely to be limited because research is scarce and healthcare professionals lack experience of it. However, mental health nurses can use their skills and competencies to identify expectant or new fathers at risk of postnatal depression, detect signs and symptoms of the condition, adopt an inclusive, sensitive and compassionate approach, encourage fathers to talk about their mental health issues, and refer or signpost them to further support as needed.

Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2023.e1641

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

cje135@pgr.aru.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Davenport CJ, Swami V (2023) Identifying and supporting men who experience paternal postnatal depression. Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2023.e1641

Published online: 15 March 2023

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