Correlates of Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Among Expectant and New Fathers

摘要

Many men experience depression and anxiety during the transition to parenthood, but characteristics associated with fathers' distress are less well understood than those for mothers. Among perinatal women, both general cognitive biases and attitudes toward parenthood are associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. The goal of this study was to assess whether these characteristics are associated with psychological distress among fathers. An Internet-based sample of expectant (n = 145) and new (n = 137) first-time fathers completed cross-sectional self-report measures of paternal attitudes, general cognitive biases, relationship quality, social support, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. General cognitive biases and relationship quality were associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety after controlling for other paternal characteristics. Although paternal attitudes were correlated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, they were not significantly associated with symptoms in overall multivariate analyses, and the relationship between paternal attitudes and anxiety differed between expectant and new fathers. These findings suggest that general cognitive biases and relationship quality are strongly associated with paternal distress. Couples-based and cognitive-behavioral interventions may be well-suited for adaptation for use in this population.