A content analysis of mothers’ online communications of their partners’ presumed paternal postnatal depression

Davenport, Caroline; Swami, Viren

Abstract

Research has increasingly focused on fathers’ experiences of maternal postnatal depression (PND), but there is little information on mothers’ experiences of their partners’ PND. Aims: The aim of this study was to understand how mothers perceive and communicate their experiences of living with fathers with PND.
This study used content analysis of online forum posts written by mothers on two UK parenting sites.
Two themes are presented, namely Mothers’ experiences of having a male partner with PND; and Women’s general perceptions of paternal PND.
Mothers suspect PND based on behavioural and emotional changes in fathers, including anger, which negatively impact on infant bonding, relationships, and fathers’ support of the mother. Whilst some mothers are sympathetic to the possibility of paternal PND, women expect fathers to seek help for their symptoms and consider delays in help-seeking as a selfish refusal to prioritise the family.

Citation

Davenport, C., & Swami, V. (2024). A content analysis of mothers’ online communications of their partners’ presumed paternal postnatal depression. Journal of Health Visiting, 12(5), 210–216. https://doi.org/10.12968/johv.2024.12.5.210

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 27, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jun 17, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-06
• Deposit Date: Mar 15, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 18, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Health Visiting
• Print ISSN: 2050-8719
• Publisher: MA Healthcare
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 210–216
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.12968/johv.2024.12.5.210
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4590561