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Associations between unintended fatherhood and paternal mental health problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Smith, Imogene; O'Dea, Gypsy; Demmer, David Hilton; Youssef, George; Craigie, Georgia; Francis, Lauren M; Coles, Laetitia; D'Souza, Levita; Cain, Kat; Knight, Tess; Olsson, Craig A; Macdonald, Jacqui A.
Affiliation
  • Smith I; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia; The Cairnmillar Institute, East Hawthorn, Australia. Electronic address: imogene.smith@research.deakin.edu.au.
  • O'Dea G; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
  • Demmer DH; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
  • Youssef G; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
  • Craigie G; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
  • Francis LM; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
  • Coles L; Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
  • D'Souza L; Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
  • Cain K; Library Client Services, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
  • Knight T; The Cairnmillar Institute, East Hawthorn, Australia.
  • Olsson CA; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia; Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
  • Macdonald JA; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia; Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
J Affect Disord ; 339: 22-32, 2023 Oct 15.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37393953
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Unintended pregnancies are linked to adverse parental mental health, yet little attention has been given to this relationship in fathers specifically. We aimed to meta-analyse associations between unintended pregnancies and mental health problems in fathers with children aged ≤36 months.

METHODS:

We conducted keyword searches of Medline, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, PsycInfo and Embase to February 2, 2022, and hand searched included reference lists.

RESULTS:

Of 2826 records identified, 23 studies (N = 8085 fathers), reporting 29 effects, were eligible for meta-analysis. Included studies assessed depression, anxiety, stress, parenting stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol misuse and psychological distress. Pooled estimates, from random effects meta-analyses, for all mental health outcomes (k = 29; OR = 2.28) and depression only (k = 19; OR = 2.36), showed that the odds of reporting mental health difficulties were >2-fold higher in men reporting unintended births compared with those reporting intended births. However, there was no evidence of association with anxiety (k = 2) or stress (k = 2). Overall, mental health problems were greater in low-income countries. No differences were found across parity, timepoint of mental health assessment, or instruments used to measure mental health symptoms.

LIMITATIONS:

Analyses were limited by the use of retrospective assessment of pregnancy intention, and heterogeneity of measures used. Further, assessment of fathers' mental health was restricted to the first year postpartum. This review was limited to English language studies.

CONCLUSIONS:

Unintended pregnancies present an identifiable risk for postpartum mental health problems in fathers.
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Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Risk_factors_studies / Systematic_reviews Language: En Journal: J Affect Disord Year: 2023 Document type: Article
Fulltext
Add to My VHL
Print
XML
PubMed Links
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Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Risk_factors_studies / Systematic_reviews Language: En Journal: J Affect Disord Year: 2023 Document type: Article