Fathers Experience of Paternal Postpartum Depression : A Scoping Review
Abstract
Background: Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a mental disorder that occurs within the first year after childbirth, affecting both mothers and fathers. Fathers also experience mood changes during the transition to parenthood, with a significant prevalence of paternal PPD. and a history of mental illness contribute to the occurrence of PPD. Further research is needed to better understand the experiences of fathers dealing with PPD.PPD in fathers has negative effects on family health, including child development, quality of life, and partner relationships. Risk factors such as unemployment, low social support, and a history of mental illness contribute to the occurrence of PPD. Further research is needed to better understand the experiences of fathers dealing with PPD.
Objectives: Reviewing the literature discussing fathers' experiences with postpartum depression.
Methods: This study is a scoping review using PRISMA to process the article selection. This study for databases source from Pubmed, Wiley, and ScienceDirect, 1.188 articles were obtained from all databases and 4 articles were selected for analysis
Results: Based on 4 selected articles with qualitative study design. The results of the study revealed 3 themes containing the, perceptions and emotional experiences of fathers, social support and father relationships, and the search for fathers' mental health support.
Conclusion: Postpartum depression (PPD) in fathers has a significant impact on their psychological well-being, resulting in feelings of distress and isolation. Stressors such as work issues and masculinity stigma exacerbate this condition. Therefore, it is important to increase awareness and support from health professionals so that fathers can overcome these challenges.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
- Refaeli LB, Rodrigues M, Neaman A, Bertele N, Ziv Y, Talmon A, et al. Supporting the transition to parenthood: a systematic review of empirical studies on emotional and psychological interventions for firsttime parents. Patient Educ Couns2024;120.
- Nomaguchi K, Milkie MA. Parenthood and Well-Being: A Decade in Review. Journal of Marriage and Family 2020;82(1):198–223.
- Pedersen SC, Maindal HT, Ryom K. “I Wanted to Be There as a Father, but I Couldn’t”: A Qualitative Study of Fathers’ Experiences of Postpartum Depression and Their Help-Seeking Behavior. Am J Mens Health 2021;15(3).
- Don BP, Eller J, Simpson JA, Fredrickson BL, Algoe SB, Rholes WS, et al. New Parental Positivity: The Role of Positive Emotions in Promoting Relational Adjustment During the Transition to Parenthood. J Pers Soc Psychol 2022;123(1):84–106.
- Cao H, Zhou N, Leerkes EM, Qu J. Multiple domains of new mothers’ adaptation: Interrelations and roots in childhood maternal nonsupportive emotion socialization. Journal of Family Psychology 2018;32(5):575–87.
- Wang D, Li YL, Qiu D, Xiao SY. Factors Influencing Paternal Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review and MetaAnalysis. J Affect Disord2021;293:51–63.
- Johansson M, Benderix Y, Svensson I. Mothers’ and fathers’ lived experiences of postpartum depression and parental stress after childbirth: a qualitative study. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being 2020;15(1).
- Francisca Pérez C, Paulina Brahm M. Paternal postpartum depression. Why is it also important? Rev Chil Pediatr 2017;88(5):582–5.
- Iwata H, Mori E, Maehara K, Kimura K, Toyama F, Kakehashi A, et al. Preventive interventions for paternal perinatal depression: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open 2023;13(3).
- Rao WW, Zhu XM, Zong QQ, Zhang Q, Hall BJ, Ungvari GS, et al. Prevalence of prenatal and postpartum depression in fathers: A comprehensive meta-analysis of observational surveys. J Affect Disord 2020;263:491–9.
- Gratton E. Psychopathologie de la périnatalité et de la parentalité, sous la direction de Jacques Dayan, Gwenaëlle Andro et Michel Dugnat (2 e édition), Elsevier-Masson, 2014. Dialogue Can Philos Assoc 2015;n° 207(1):I–I.
- Kitil GW, Hussen MA, Chibsa SE, Chereka AA. Exploring paternal postpartum depression and contributing factors in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry 2024;24(1).
- Francisca Pérez C, Paulina Brahm M. Paternal postpartum depression. Why is it also important? Rev Chil Pediatr 2017;88(5).
- Philpott LF, Leahy-Warren P, FitzGerald S, Savage E. Stress in fathers in the perinatal period: A systematic review. Midwifery2017;55:113–27.
- Gusmahansyah DMR, Ali H, Us KA, Uin M, Jambi S, Gusmahansyah R. LITERATURE REVIEW SISTEM BERFIKIR KEBENARAN. 2022;2(2). Available from: https://doi.org/10.38035/jihhp.v2i2
- Basrowi RW, Wiguna T, Samah K, Djuwita F Moeloek N, Soetrisno M, Purwanto SA, et al. Exploring Mental Health Issues and Priorities in Indonesia Through Qualitative Expert Consensus. Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health 2024;20(1):1–9.
- Chu B, Marwaha K, Sanvictores T, Ayers D. Physiology, Stress Reaction. StatPearls2024;
- Hambidge S, Cowell A, Arden-Close E, Mayers A. “What kind of man gets depressed after having a baby?” Fathers’ experiences of mental health during the perinatal period. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2021;21(1):463.
- Peters MDJ, Marnie C, Tricco AC, Pollock D, Munn Z, Alexander L, et al. Updated methodological guidance for the conduct of scoping reviews. JBI Evid Synth 2020;18(10):2119– 26.
- Arksey H, O’Malley L. Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology: Theory and Practice 2005;8(1).
- Carlson MJ, VanOrman AG. Trajectories of relationship supportiveness after childbirth: Does marriage matter? Soc Sci Res 2017;66:102–17.
- Najah M, Yeni. Tingkat Pendidikan sebagai Determinan Utama Partisipasi Pria Menjadi Akseptor Keluarga Berencana (KB) di Indonesia: Analisis Data SDKI 2017. VJKM: Varians Jurnal Kesehatan Masyarakat 2024;2(1):27–37.
- Johansson M, Östlund P, Holmqvist C, Wells MB. Family life starts at home: Fathers’ experiences of a newly implemented Swedish homebased postnatal care model – an interview study. Midwifery 2022;105.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/placentum.v13i2.104603
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2025 Placentum: Jurnal Ilmiah Kesehatan dan Aplikasinya

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike International 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
12.png)
b.png)
1.png)







13.png)

8.png)