DOES FATHERS' PRENATAL MENTAL HEALTH BEAR A RELATIONSHIP TO PARENTING STRESS AT 6 MONTHS?

This study aimed to explore fathers' mental health and retrospectively reported adverse childhood experiences during pregnancy, as well as various pathways predicting self-reported stress at 6 months' postpartum as assessed by the Parenting Stress Index (PSI; R.R. Abidin, ). A total of 835 fathers contributed data to the study. Data collection comprised five time points during pregnancy and one at 6 months' postpartum. The main analyses were performed using linear regression and path analyses. First, linear regression analyses showed that paternal anxiety symptoms during pregnancy predicted stress scores in the PSI child domain at 6 months (coefficient = 0.36). Second, path analyses showed that depressive symptoms during pregnancy predicted parenting stress in the child domain, mediated by spousal disharmony at 6 months' postpartum (coefficient = 0.77). Third, adverse childhood experiences scores predicted parenting stress in the child domain by two different pathways: one mediated by anxiety symptoms in pregnancy (coefficient = 0.29) and the other by depressive symptoms in pregnancy and experienced spousal disharmony at 6 months' postpartum (coefficient = 0.77). The findings suggest that fathers' symptoms of anxiety and depression during pregnancy as well as adverse childhood experiences predict paternal stress and a negative perception of their children's behavior at 6 months' postpartum.

WHEN MUM IS STRESSED, IS DAD JUST AS STRESSED? PREDICTORS OF PATERNAL STRESS IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF HAVING A BABY.

The primary aim of this study was to examine predictors of paternal stress within the first 6 months of having a baby in a normative Australian sample, and to compare paternal and maternal stress. In total, 54 fathers and 71 mothers completed self-report measures of postnatal depressive symptoms, parenting stress, efficacy, responsiveness, attachment, and family and social support. Paired sample t test revealed a significant relationship within couples in their level of parenting stress. Fathers reported lower levels of postnatal depression, responsiveness, and attachment than did mothers. Fathers rated their level of social support to be higher than did mothers. Regression analyses indicated that responsiveness and efficacy significantly predicted paternal stress whereas responsiveness and attachment predicted maternal stress when history of psychological diagnosis and financial stability were controlled for. Results have implications for early preventive parenting programs.