A descriptive qualitative study exploring the experiences of fathers with partners suffering from maternal perinatal depression

Predictors of Fetal Attachment, Anxiety, Stress, and Worry in Unintended Pregnancies in the Primary Care Center in Southern Iran

Background

Despite the prevalence of unintended pregnancies, little is known about the connections between psychosocial and sociodemographic characteristics. This study explored the predictors of fetal attachment, worry, anxiety, and stress in unintended pregnancies.

Materials and Methods

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 229 father and mother pairs from two primary healthcare centers in Fars province in southern Iran. Data were collected in a face-to-face survey using the Parents Fetal Attachment Scale, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Cambridge Worry Scale (CWS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Parental Worry Scale. The participants were selected using the two-stage random cluster sampling method from November 2022 to February 2023. Data were analyzed in SPSS software using binary logistic and multiple linear regression tests.

Results

According to the findings, education level and previous parenting experience were found to have a statistically significant effect on the attachment levels of mothers (F4,224 = 5.14; p < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference between the perceived stress of mothers and fathers (p > 0.05). Previous parenting experience significantly affected mothers' anxiety (odd ratio: 3.20; p < 0.05). The age variable had a significant relationship with the mothers' perceived stress (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

According to the results, unwanted pregnancy had a significant relationship with fetal attachment, anxiety, stress, and worry. It is recommended that to enhance the mental health of couples who have experienced unintended pregnancy, a platform should be provided for the development of their psychosocial environment.

Parents' Perceptions of Their Parenting Journeys and a Mobile App Intervention (Parentbot-A Digital Healthcare Assistant): Qualitative Process Evaluation

BACKGROUND

Parents experience many challenges during the perinatal period. Mobile app-based interventions and chatbots show promise in delivering health care support for parents during the perinatal period.

OBJECTIVE

This descriptive qualitative process evaluation study aims to explore the perinatal experiences of parents in Singapore, as well as examine the user experiences of the mobile app-based intervention with an in-built chatbot titled Parentbot-a Digital Healthcare Assistant (PDA).

METHODS

A total of 20 heterosexual English-speaking parents were recruited via purposive sampling from a single tertiary hospital in Singapore. The parents (control group: 10/20, 50%; intervention group: 10/20, 50%) were also part of an ongoing randomized trial between November 2022 and August 2023 that aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the PDA in improving parenting outcomes. Semistructured one-to-one interviews were conducted via Zoom from February to June 2023. All interviews were conducted in English, audio recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was guided by the thematic analysis framework. The COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklist was used to guide the reporting of data.

RESULTS

Three themes with 10 subthemes describing parents' perceptions of their parenting journeys and their experiences with the PDA were identified. The main themes were (1) new babies, new troubles, and new wonders; (2) support system for the parents; and (3) reshaping perinatal support for future parents.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the PDA provided parents with informational, socioemotional, and psychological support and could be used to supplement the perinatal care provided for future parents. To optimize users' experience with the PDA, the intervention could be equipped with a more sophisticated chatbot, equipped with more gamification features, and programmed to deliver personalized care to parents. Researchers and health care providers could also strive to promote more peer-to-peer interactions among users. The provision of continuous, holistic, and family-centered care by health care professionals could also be emphasized. Moreover, policy changes regarding maternity and paternity leaves, availability of infant care centers, and flexible work arrangements could be further explored to promote healthy work-family balance for parents.

Secondary teachers' competencies and attitude: A mediated multigroup model based on usefulness and enjoyment to examine the differences between key dimensions of STEM teaching practice

This research explores the mediating role of perceived usefulness and enjoyment of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching practice between secondary teachers' competencies and attitudes in the formal educational context. Also, the research aimed to examine if the relationships between model constructs differ by STEM teaching practice dimension (e.g., Inquiry-based learning (IBL) and Integration of STEM content (INT)). We synthesized the will, skill, tool model (WST), technology acceptance model (TAM) and flow theory (FLT) to develop a theoretical model predicting teacher attitude under the influence of Competencies, Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Enjoyment. Therefore, a mediated multigroup model with validated data from three hundred Romanian secondary teachers who completed questionnaires related to their competencies, perceived usefulness, enjoyment, and attitude toward STEM teaching practices was used. Two comparative teacher survey studies were carried out: one for IBL and one for INT. There are direct and positive relationships between Competencies and Attitude, Competencies and Enjoyment, Competencies and Usefulness, and Enjoyment and Attitude for both IBL and INT teaching practices. The partial least squares path modeling (PLS-SEM) results showed that the control variables had no significant impact on attitude. This research supports evidence for the belief that teachers' competency is a key predictor of attitude. Precisely, the positive strong direct effect of Competencies on Attitude is similar for IBL (β = 0.49, t = 7.46, p < 0.001; f 2 (Effect size) = 0.29) with for INT teaching practice (β = 0.46, t = 6.46, p < 0.001; f2 (Effect size) = 0.22). Interestingly, this research showed that the perceived Usefulness and Enjoyment partially mediated the association between Competencies and Attitude in both case studies. Understanding the mediating role of perceived usefulness and enjoyment for each STEM practice would help teachers successfully implement STEM education.

Predictive Factors for Depression and Anxiety in Men During the Perinatal Period: A Mixed Methods Study

The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with paternal perinatal mental distress in a sample of Australian men. A mixed-methods design was used. The qualitative component (N = 13) using thematic analysis identified maternal depression, marital distress, masculine gender role stress, unplanned pregnancy, work-family conflict, and sleep disturbance as risk factors for paternal perinatal mental distress. The quantitative component (N = 525) expanded on the qualitative findings and examined the associations between the identified risk factors and mental distress of fathers in the perinatal period measured by Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed six significant predictors of paternal perinatal mental distress with masculine gender role stress being the most significant risk factor for paternal perinatal mental distress. The results from this study provide an insight into how masculine gender role may affect the expression and experience of mental distress in fathers within the perinatal period. Implications of research findings are discussed.