Mental fitness during transition to fatherhood

Transition into fatherhood is often marked by a period of adjustment, uncertainty and psychological distress and challenges for many men, along with social isolation and relationship problems. Risk factors for paternal mental health issues are maternal depression, marital distress, parenting stress, gender role stress, mismatched expectations for pregnancy and after childbirth, poor physical health, inadequate self-care behaviours, avoiding seeking help for mental health issues, and having a child with sleeping, feeding and temperament problems. Paternal depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder can have negative impacts on the social and emotional wellbeing of fathers, their partners and their children. Nevertheless, these issues are not widely acknowledged, recognised or treated. Men’s mental health illness is a silent crisis. They often fail to seek help due to their feeling of shame, stigma for a lack of emotional control, distress or anxiety related to utilising mental health support services, and underrating the severity of their symptoms. These necessitate the need for timely attention, psychological support and proper education to minimise their risk of mental health issues. Although research has indicated fathers’ inclination toward being included in practices such as the mental health assessment, perinatal education and postnatal educational approaches need to be inclusive of fathers and encourage them to seek support for their paternal mental health issues and parenting difficulties.