Examining the Effectiveness of the Fathers and Babies Intervention: A Pilot Study

Abstract

There is increasing recognition of the importance of addressing the mental health of fathers, including during the perinatal period. Fathers exhibiting mental health concerns during the perinatal period are at heightened risk for future negative mental health outcomes and are less likely to engage in nurturing relationships with their children, leading to a sequalae of negative child outcomes during infancy and into adolescence. Although interventions have been developed for perinatal fathers, they typically do not focus directly on addressing paternal mental health. To fill this gap, we developed the Fathers and Babies intervention to be delivered to perinatal fathers whose partners (mothers) were enrolled in home visiting programs. A pre-post longitudinal study was conducted in which 30 father-mother dyads were recruited from home visiting programs. Fathers received the 12-session Fathers and Babies intervention while the mother concurrently received the Mothers and Babies intervention delivered to her by a home visitor. Baseline, 3- and 6-month self-report surveys were conducted with both fathers and mothers. Fathers and mothers had statistically significant decreases in perceived stress between baseline and both follow-up time points, with moderate effect sizes generated for both sexes. No statistically significant differences were found for depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, or perceived partner support, although we found small effects for reductions in depressive symptoms among fathers, as well as increases in the percentage of fathers and mothers who reported high levels of emotional and instrumental support post-intervention. While preliminary, these findings suggest the potential for Fathers and Babies to positively impact the mental health of fathers in the perinatal period, and also signal the viability of home visiting as a setting for delivering this intervention. Future research should employ a comparison group to generate stronger evidence of intervention effectiveness and include measurement of dyadic relationships and paternal parenting practices.

Effective interventions to increase father inclusive practice

“…The remaining six studies with lower levels of evidence (Level IV-single group pre-post or post-only) yielded consistent findings for reductions in mothers' and fathers' mental health difficulties, associated with small to moderate effect sizes. 24,[31][32][33] It is worth noting sample sizes for several studies were quite small (e.g. N=12 32 and N=30 24 ).…”

“…Some interventions also provided opportunities to learn skills such as massage or relaxation strategies. 23,24 Several interventions continued to provide psychoeducational resources via a mobile app, text messaging or email following the groups. 23,25 One breastfeeding-focused group intervention provided in a child and family health service included access to a professional who facilitated referrals and support for fathers experiencing psychosocial health issues.…”

The Development and Pilot of a Technology-Based Intervention in the United States for Father’s Mental Health in the Perinatal Period

“…Based on the results from the pilot study "Examining the Effectiveness of the Fathers and Babies Intervention: A Pilot Study" (Tandon et al, 2021), and the findings presented in this manuscript, FAB modifications and refinement will be focused on the following areas: (1) creating more video content that aligns with core FAB content, (2) tailoring content to model FAB skills across child developmental phases, (3) tailoring FAB language to reflect various types of relationships between fathers and mothers (or their partners), and (4) developing a welcome packet for fathers. Additionally, we will align FAB with our current MB intervention which includes: refinement to 9 sessions for more rapid delivery, inclusion of mindfulness practices for stress reduction, manual redesign including facilitation tips and updated text-messages.…”

“…A separate manuscript describes mental health, parenting, and relationship outcomes (Tandon et al, 2021).…”

“…This manuscript describes the process of FAB development, presents feasibility and acceptability findings from an uncontrolled pilot study, and outlines revisions being made to FAB based on pilot study findings. A separate manuscript reporting on mental health, parenting, and interparental relationship has been published in the Frontiers Journal of Health Psychology (Tandon et al, 2021).…”