Antenatal Dads and First Year Families program: a qualitative study of fathers' and program facilitators' experiences of a community-based program in Australia

Parenting interventions targeting early parenting difficulty: A scoping review

Parent and child wellbeing are reciprocal. Attentive, responsive parenting, is contingent on parental wellbeing. Insights into mechanisms of early parenting interventions that seek to improve parent and child outcomes are needed. This scoping review aimed to systematically map research reporting on parenting interventions for parents experiencing early parenting difficulty. A secondary aim was to synthesise existing research using a realist lens, to provide context, mechanism and outcome insights into elements of early parenting interventions. A systematic search was conducted across six databases within the publication period of 2010-2020, to identify evidence on interventions targeting early parenting difficulty. Using pre-determined inclusion criteria, fifteen studies were selected for review. Deductive reflexive thematic analysis identified three themes: conceptual disparities in early parenting difficulty, early parenting intervention diversity and an absence of theory to explain interventions or outcomes. Neither early parenting difficulty nor the theoretical basis for early parenting interventions were well defined. Identification of contexts, mechanisms and outcomes of early parenting interventions is a unique contribution of this study. These insights may be used to inform planning, implementation and evaluation activities to promote context-focused, early parenting interventions targeting a critical phase of child development.

Getting help as a depressed dad: A lived experience narrative of paternal postnatal depression, with considerations for healthcare practice

WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE SUBJECT?: A significant proportion of fathers report experiencing depression after their baby is born Fathers are not offered regular support for their psychological well-being in the transition to parenthood despite an acknowledged need for such support WHAT DOES THE PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Lived experience provides new insight into how one father experienced postnatal depression, including the role of his partner in help-seeking It explains the delayed presentation in help-seeking as resulting from healthcare practitioner language and attitudes, and gendered expectations around mental health and help-seeking in the context of fatherhood WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH NURSING?: Mental health nurses should be aware that postnatal depression can affect fathers as well as mothers, and that it is necessary to support fathers in safe spaces and with appropriate language Planning care for depression in men should consider the recent birth of a child in order to provide effective care Clearer guidance is needed for supporting new fathers with postnatal depression ABSTRACT: Introduction Fathers are not universally supported with their perinatal mental health, but evidence shows that they suffer at a similar level to mothers. Aim This paper examines the journey of one father through his PND experience, his help seeking, and encounters in healthcare, in order to highlight the needs of a depressed father. Method The method is a father's lived experience narrative which has been written alongside a health visitor who highlights the relevance of the condition to healthcare practice. Results & Discussion The needs of fathers are unmet. They require support which considers their gender role expectations. Partners are key to their help seeking. Implications for practice The language and sensitivity used by nurses is key to encouraging fathers to share their depression and reduce stigma around the condition.

Parents' perceptions of antenatal educational programs: A meta-synthesis

BACKGROUND

Contents and mode of delivery of antenatal educational programs differed considerably. Yet there is a lack of high-level evidence about the delivery of these programs.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to understand the experiences and needs of parents who have attended antenatal educational programs.

DESIGN

Six databases were searched from each database. Included studies were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program tool. Qualitative data were meta-summarized and meta-synthesized.

FINDINGS

Seventeen studies were included, and three themes were developed: (1) Contradicting views on antenatal educational programs, (2) Feeling 'well prepared' after attending the antenatal educational programs, and (3) Parents' expectations and way forward for the antenatal educational programs.

DISCUSSION

Findings revealed that the description of contents of antenatal educational programs needed to be more specific. Mindfulness strategies were well-received by parents in the included studies. Educators should take into account inclusivity and increase educational resources related to individual, cultural and community needs. Learning needs can be assessed before and after classes. Parents with specific needs that were not addressed should be identified and referred to the relevant professionals for continued support. More deliberate actions were needed during the programs to foster social and professional networks for attendees to support them throughout antenatal and postnatal periods.

CONCLUSION

We consolidated the experiences and needs of parents who have attended antenatal educational programs. Findings can help refine policies related to antenatal care to improve pregnancy, birth and parenthood experiences for both mothers and fathers.

Beyond Kayaking - A qualitative investigation of parents and facilitators views regrading an outdoor, activity-based, multi-session parenting intervention program

The Beyond Kayaking program is a free, outdoor activity-based, parenting intervention delivered across multiple sessions to vulnerable families in regional South Australia. Current literature on outdoor activity-based interventions have demonstrated improvements in family communication, problem-solving, bonding and trust. However, these studies are mostly based on single session interventions from the United States. This study explored the subjectively reported benefits of a multi-session intervention delivered in an Australian setting including how families perceived their relationships had changed (if at all) through participation in the program. This was accomplished through the use of open-ended, qualitative interviews with 20 parents who participated in the Beyond Kayaking program between 2016 and 2017. Additionally, a one-off focus group with three members of Beyond Kayaking staff was conducted to give context to the research. Thematic analysis of the data identified three dominant themes regarding participants' experiences of the Beyond Kayaking program. The first theme was 'building family capacity' and identified how kayaking produced an environment that helped families to communicate and problem solve together, which improved family understanding overall. The second theme was 'local culture' which discussed how education on local Indigenous culture helped build awareness in non-Indigenous people while helping Indigenous families to connect. The final theme 'support and shared circumstances' discussed the benefits of participants meeting people in similar circumstance, which helped them both improve, and feel better about, their own situation. Importantly, this study demonstrates that learning a new skill while being unsure and vulnerable in front of others strengthens family relationships - thus improving understanding of how activity-based interventions aid families. However, longitudinal research that follows up with participants is needed to better understand the lasting impacts of the improvements witnessed in this research.

Interventions for Perinatal Depression and Anxiety in Fathers: A Mini-Review

Background and Objectives

Up to 10% of fathers experience perinatal depression, often accompanied by anxiety, with a detrimental impact on the emotional and behavioural development of infants. Yet, few evidence-based interventions specifically for paternal perinatal depression or anxiety exist, and few depressed or anxious fathers engage with support. This mini-review aims to build on the evidence base set by other recent systematic reviews by synthesising more recently available studies on interventions for paternal perinatal depression and anxiety. Secondarily, we also aimed to identify useful information on key implementation strategies, if any, that increase the engagement of men.

Methods

We drew upon three major previous systematic reviews and performed an updated search of PubMed/Medline; Psycinfo; Cochrane Database; Embase and Cinahl. The search was limited to trials, feasibility studies or pilot studies of interventions published between 2015 and 2020 that reported on fathers' perinatal mental health. We included psychological, educational, psychosocial, paternal, couple-focused, or group therapies, delivered face-to-face, via telephone and/or online that reported on either paternal depression, anxiety or both.

Results

Eleven studies satisfied search criteria (5 of which were not included in previous reviews). The majority were randomised controlled trials. Most interventions incorporated counselling, therapy or psychoeducation and took an indirect approach to perinatal mental health through antenatal or postnatal education and were couple-focused. No studies reported a presence of diagnosed depression or anxiety at baseline, although five studies reported a positive effect on sub-threshold symptoms.

Discussion

There was some evidence that these approaches may be useful in the initial engagement of fathers with perinatal supports and improve depression and anxiety scores. No studies targeted the explicit treatment of clinically depressed or anxious men, and this remains the most substantial gap in the peer-reviewed evidence base. Our results highlight the need to deliver perinatal interventions specifically designed for men and evaluate them in populations with clinical levels of depressive and anxious symptomatology.

Individual parental conversations with non-birthing parents

AIM

The aim of this study was to describe Child Health Service (CHS) nurses' experiences with conducting individual parental conversations (IPCs) with non-birthing parents.

BACKGROUND

CHS nurses in Sweden mainly focus on monitoring a child's physical and mental development and the mothers' health in order to support their parenthood. The assignment of the CHS includes identifying dysfunctional social relationships in a family and strengthening responsive parenting. An imbalance arises within the family when someone in the family suffers from illness, which could have a negative effect on the whole family's health and well-being.

METHODS

An inductive, descriptive qualitative study design was used to describe and to gain an understanding of the CHS nurses' experiences. Data were collected in 13 interviews, and a qualitative content analysis was performed.

FINDINGS

The analysis of interviews with CHS nurses resulted in two main categories, each with three subcategories. The main categories are: working for equality and applying a family focus, and dealing with challenges in the developing assignment. The IPCs stimulate the CHS nurses to work for more equality and to apply a family focus, which can be a way of strengthening the families' health and the children's upbringing. Developing the CHS nurses' assignment can be a challenge that appears to entail positive outcomes for CHS nurses, while also generating the need for CHS nurses to receive supervision to find ways to improve their approach and practice.