ArticleAmerican journal of men's health
"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.
Article in American journal of men's health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 56 citations in OpenAlex.
- The perceived influence of fathers' and non-gestational parents' experiences of postnatal depression on their relationship with their child and partner: a systematic review of qualitative studies and meta-synthesis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Towards effective screening for paternal perinatal mental illness: a meta-review of instruments and research gaps.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- Paternal perinatal depression: A concept analysis.Nursing open · 2023Pooled it
- Mothers' understanding of and attitudes towards providing support for paternal post-partum depression.Infant mental health journal · 2026Article
- An inductive content analysis of behavioural sleep information in Canadian online infant sleep resources.Paediatrics & child health · 2026Article
- Understanding fathers' help-seeking: A scoping review.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2026Review
- A socioecological examination of father alcohol use in Kenya: Motivation, consequences, and barriers to care.Global public health · 2025Article
- Differences between men and women accessing an Australian perinatal and infant mental health care navigation service-Why do fathers seek help?Infant mental health journal · 2025Observational
- Father Involvement in Pregnancy and Postnatal Care: Combined Perspectives of Fathers, Mothers, and Service Providers.Nursing & health sciences · 2025Article
- Exploring the Experiences of Australian Fathers Who Lead School 'Dads Groups'.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2025Article
- Paternal perinatal mental health support: fathers' perspectives on barriers, facilitators, and preferences.Discover mental health · 2025Article
- The lived experience of postpartum depression and psychosis in women: a bottom-up review co-written by experts by experience and academics.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2025Article
- Factors influencing the intention of women with perinatal depression and their spouses to seek professional psychological help: a cross-sectional latent profile analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Cumulative childhood interpersonal trauma and parental stress: The role of partner support.Journal of social and personal relationships · 2024Article
- Factors influencing spousal support for women with perinatal depression in seeking formal assistance: a qualitative study.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Perception of Paternal Postpartum Depression among Healthcare Professionals: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Understanding the Barriers Fathers Face to Seeking Help for Paternal Perinatal Depression: Comparing Fathers to Men Outside the Perinatal Period.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Parent-carer experiences using a peer support network: a qualitative study.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Men's Experiences with Fatherhood in Heterosexual Relationships: A Narrative Analysis.American journal of men's healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the most common mental health problems among new parents. Past studies have examined PPD in women; however, the condition is less understood in men. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of men or fathers with PPD and to understand the barriers and facilitators of help-seeking among fathers with PPD. Eight fathers with PPD were interviewed and data were subsequently analyzed through interpretative phenomenological analysis. The fathers perceived fatherhood as an overwhelming experience and feelings of inadequacy and powerlessness were two of the main themes in the fathers' experiences of PPD. The feeling of inadequacy and powerlessness was related to the fathers' expectations for themselves and their role as a father. The fathers' sense of inadequacy and powerlessness sometimes turned into anger and frustrations. In addition, the fathers experienced a variety of contributing stressors around the birth of their child. Further, the analysis revealed how the fathers' help-seeking behavior was influenced by five contributing factors: recognition and perception of depressive symptoms; knowledge and beliefs about PPD; taboo, stigma and conforming to masculine norms; the fathers' partner; screening and perinatal healthcare services. Paternal PPD has a significant impact on the fathers' wellbeing and everyday lives. Findings indicate that parents-to-be may benefit from education on paternal PDD, and they highlight the importance of screening for paternal PPD and support tailored to the needs of fathers with signs of PPD.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.