Motherhood and Postnatal Depression

Westall, Carolyn; Liamputtong, Pranee

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1694-0

Cited by 27 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 128 publications

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“…27 Narrative accounts of couples' experience of the onset of maternal perinatal depression have described the partners' recognition that 'something was wrong' and urging mothers to seek help, but also the couples' confusion and lack of knowledge of where to access help. 28 While mothers often want and intend to seek help from their partner for perinatal distress, [29][30][31] fathers can feel unprepared to respond to their partners' mental health problems. 15 Male partners may lack understanding of their own needs and those of their partner, have limited knowledge of suitable sources of help or feel unable to reach out for help due to fear of external judgement or stigma.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to the variability in the onset, level and persistence of maternal perinatal depression, 24–26 the type of support sought by mothers would be expected to vary according to whether her distress is emerging, persistent or easing 27 . Narrative accounts of couples' experience of the onset of maternal perinatal depression have described the partners' recognition that ‘something was wrong’ and urging mothers to seek help, but also the couples' confusion and lack of knowledge of where to access help 28 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Equipping fathers to support distressed mothers: What do mothers want fathers to know and do?

Fletcher

Regan

May

et al. 2023

Health Prom J of Aust

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Issue AddressedUp to one in five new mothers experience depression or anxiety, and their partners are often the first line of social and practical support. However, many fathers are unprepared for their role as support person. The SMS4dads program (www.sms4dads.com) provides text‐based support to new fathers but lacks specific messages addressing maternal mental distress.MethodsA mixed methods process engaged mothers with lived experience of perinatal mental distress to identify message content for co‐designing texts in SMS4dads. Participants completed surveys derived from research literature and parenting websites using the theoretical framework of support domains: emotional or affectionate support, informational support, tangible support and positive social interaction. Mothers also indicated the most appropriate timing of support: at the point of identifying the distress (emerging), with ongoing symptoms (persistent) or during recovery (easing). Free text comments from mothers were linked to survey topics to provide examples of wording suitable for text messages to fathers.ResultsFifty‐five mothers with lived experience completed the surveys. All support items were more often endorsed as helpful rather than not helpful by mothers. Emotional support was thought helpful in the early stages, tangible support was valued with ongoing symptoms and social interaction appreciated as symptoms eased.ConclusionsMothers experiencing perinatal depression and anxiety require a range of supportive actions by their partners, including household tasks and baby‐care, encouragement, listening and managing relationships with family and friends.So What?Information provided by distressed mothers can provide guidance to professionals when designing information for fathers/partners. Digital delivery of this co‐designed information to fathers across urban and rural areas may enhance the competence of fathers working to support mothers experiencing mental distress in the perinatal period.

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