Expanding the international conversation with fathers' mental health: toward an era of inclusion in perinatal research and practice.

Paternal mental health is beginning to be recognized as an essential part of perinatal health. Historically, fathers were not recognized as being at risk for perinatal mental illnesses or relevant to maternal and infant health outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of paternal perinatal mental health, leading tools to assess paternal depression and anxiety, the impact of paternal mental health on mother and child health, and future directions for the field. An international team of paternal perinatal mental health experts summarized the key findings of the field. Fathers have an elevated risk of depression and anxiety disorders during the perinatal period that is associated with maternal depression and can impact their ability to support mothers. Paternal mental health is uniquely associated with child mental health and developmental outcomes starting from infancy and continuing through the child lifespan. Tailored screening approaches for paternal mental health are essential to support fathers early in the perinatal period, which would offset health risks for the family. Recommendations on paternal mental health are provided on four key areas to support father perinatal mental health: (1) intervention research, (2) clinical training, (3) national policy, and (4) the inclusion of fathers in the focus of the International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health.

The emotional wellbeing of Bangladeshi mothers during the postnatal period.

There have been significant studies commenting on the postnatal experience and the emotional well-being of mothers following the birth of their child. This paper focuses on the emotional well-being and health beliefs of Bangladeshi mothers during this period. An attempt was made to understand if postnatal depression was recognised, how it was interpreted and to explore the effect it has on the well-being of the mother, her family and the wider community. A qualitative approach was used to explore the values and views of the mothers by means of a focus group interview. Ten mothers who resided in Wales and were brought up within a Muslim community participated in the study. Findings suggest that when mothers experienced emotional issues they sought the support of their family, friends and religious leaders, and, although familiar with some primary care services, they were not always their first point of contact. It is proposed that health visitors could discuss their role, particularly in relation to perinatal mental health, with the Bangladeshi mothers. This may help the mothers to access support and services. It is important for health visitors to understand the significance of cultural diversity and the competing interpretations of postnatal depression and also to recognise why mothers might seek alternative methods to manage their health during the ante and postnatal period.

A critical analysis of video tapes on postnatal depression.

AIM: To watch videos on postnatal depression which are used by professionals, mothers and voluntary agencies and to review their quality, content, and themes. BACKGROUND: To our knowledge there have been no previous studies of video tapes on postnatal depression for use by mothers and health care professionals during the antenatal and postnatal periods. A core group, consisting of a psychiatrist, health visitor and a mother, watched videos produced in the English language from Australia, South Africa, United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK). We found a similarity in all video tapes reviewed with regard to the feelings expressed by mothers and fathers. However, some of the context and culture differed in several countries where, during the management and treatment of postnatal depression, a medical rather than social model was preferred.

A study of Welsh mothers' experiences of postnatal depression.

OBJECTIVE: to examine the experiences of Welsh mothers diagnosed with postnatal depression and to question whether postnatal depression is socially determined. DESIGN: qualitative interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire to clarify mothers' thoughts and feelings within the postnatal period. SETTING: a semi-rural part of south-west Wales, previously dominated by the mining industry. PARTICIPANTS: ten mothers with one or more children participated in the study. Most of the mothers were from lower socio-economic groups. They were selected from 30 women diagnosed with postnatal depression. FINDINGS: mothers had little knowledge of the effects of postnatal depression before becoming pregnant, and were initially reluctant to confide or share their feelings. Economic pressures determined a second income and necessitated mothers returning to work. This left them with little quality time for their babies and family. The prime support networks, which in previous generations were grandmothers, were absent, and mothers relied on social services and voluntary support groups. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: a greater understanding of the emotional and social effects of childbirth may help mothers to avoid feelings of isolation and the inability to cope. Discussing the issues of socio-emotional strain during pregnancy may help the mother to recognise the symptoms that identify postnatal depression, legitimise the condition and begin the recovery process.

The assessment and treatment of postnatal depression.

Postnatal depression is a common depressive illness with a variety of potential causes. This article outlines the detection of postnatal depression, the effects that the condition has on the whole family and treatment options.