Differences between men and women accessing an Australian perinatal and infant mental health care navigation service—Why do fathers seek help
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7155596 |
|---|---|
| Authors | A Harris (0000-0002-4195-5255), Sophia A Harris (0000-0002-0345-9816, Discipline of Psychiatry & Mental Health University of New South Wales Sydney Australia, corresponding author), Valsamma Eapen (0000-0001-6296-8306, Discipline of Psychiatry & Mental Health University of New South Wales Sydney Australia), Jane Kohlhoff (0000-0001-6202-6685, Discipline of Psychiatry & Mental Health University of New South Wales Sydney Australia) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 506-516 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Infant Mental Health Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0163-9641 • E-ISSN: 1097-0355 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/imhj.70012 |
| PMID | 40108818 |
| OpenAlex | W4408646675 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
This study explored the demographic and psychosocial characteristics, and presenting concerns of new or expectant fathers seeking perinatal mental health (PMH) support through the Australia‐based ForWhen service, compared to a sample of mothers. The retrospective observational analysis examined routinely collected data from 105 male and 203 female clients who were supported by ForWhen between February 2022 to June 2024. Fathers and mothers did not differ in terms of demographic characteristics, and both presented with similarly high levels of distress during intake. However, fathers were more likely to report current self‐harm and/or suicidal ideation, as well as current relationship issues and financial stress. Conversely, mothers were more likely to report parenting concerns such as infant sleep and settling challenges. Overall, far fewer men than women access support through ForWhen, despite the known prevalence of PMH concerns among fathers. There were also differences in how clients accessed the service, with fathers more often referred by their intimate partner, suggesting that partners may be an important avenue to encourage help‐seeking for paternal PMH concerns. These findings highlight the need to adapt PMH services—traditionally designed for women—to be more inclusive of and better engage men
Distress · Environmental health · Mental health · Observational study · Poison control · Psychiatry · Psychosocial · Suicidal ideation · Suicide prevention · Breastfeeding Practices and Influences · Clinical Psychology · Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Psychology
Factors associated with gender and sex differences in anxiety prevalence and comorbidity
Paternal postpartum depression, its relationship to maternal postpartum depression, and implications for family health
Prenatal and Postpartum Depression in Fathers and Its Association With Maternal Depression
“I Wanted to Be There as a Father, but I Couldn’t”
Understanding the Barriers Fathers Face to Seeking Help for Paternal Perinatal Depression
Measurement of Men's Help Seeking
Getting help for yourself is a way of helping your baby
Male callers to an Australian perinatal depression and anxiety help line—Understanding issues and concerns
Fathers’ help seeking behavior and attitudes during their transition to parenthood
Implementing a National Navigation Service for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health
Men, masculinity, and the contexts of help seeking
What matters for working fathers? Job characteristics, work-family conflict and enrichment, and fathers' postpartum mental health in an Australian cohort
Fathers' Postnatal Mental Health and Child Well-Being at Age Five
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |