Screening for Early Signs of Paternal Perinatal Affective Disorder in Expectant Fathers: A Cluster Analysis Approach

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Perinatal Affective Disorders (PADs) disproportionately affect women, with limited research on male mental health during this period.
• Expectant fathers' psychological well-being is under-researched, despite its potential impact on families.
• Understanding paternal mental health is vital for comprehensive perinatal care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify psychological profiles of expectant fathers based on depression, anxiety, addiction, anger, and somatization.
• To examine the relationship between these profiles and perceived stress.
• To investigate the association between these profiles and couple’s marital adjustment.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 350 Italian expectant fathers in their third trimester.
• Utilized questionnaires to assess perceived stress, dyadic adjustment, psychiatric symptomatology, and depression.
• Employed cluster analysis to identify distinct psychological profiles.

Main Results:

• Three clusters emerged: 'psychologically healthy' (68%), 'at risk of externalized behavioral problems' (17.1%), and 'experiencing psychological distress' (14.9%).
• Significant associations were found between perceived stress, marital adjustment, and cluster membership.
• Higher distress levels correlated with increased perceived stress and lower marital adjustment.

Conclusions:

• The findings underscore the need to include fathers in perinatal mental health screening, moving beyond mother-centric approaches.
• Identifying paternal psychological profiles can inform the development of targeted interventions.
• Integrating paternal mental health support into perinatal services is essential for overall family well-being.