Paternal Postpartum Bonding and Its Predictors in the Early Postpartum Period: Cross-Sectional Study in a Polish Cohort

Introduction: Parental postpartum bonding has been studied by many researchers focusing on maternal bonding. The objective of this study was to examine the psychological and socio-demographic predictors of paternal postpartum bonding in the early postpartum period.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 131 couples (fathers median age of 32.37 years, SD = 4.59; mothers median age of 30.23 years, SD = 3.90) of newborns from full-term pregnancies were recruited from November 2019 until March 2020. The primary outcome was paternal postpartum bonding as measured by the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ). Secondary outcomes included: maternal and paternal anxiety [with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Assessment]; maternal and paternal stress [with the Parental Stress Scale (PSS)]; maternal depressive symptoms [with the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS)]; and maternal and paternal socio-demographic variables as fathers’ presence at childbirth, education level, age, and parental experience.Results: Paternal postpartum bonding was significantly correlated with paternal anxiety (moderate strength), maternal stress (strong correlation), and maternal postpartum bonding. No significant correlations between paternal postpartum bonding, maternal depression symptoms, and maternal anxiety were found. The mediating role of paternal stress in paternal postpartum bonding was proven. Paternal anxiety strengthens paternal stress (b = 0.98). Further, a high level of paternal stress disrupts paternal postpartum bonding (b = 0.41). Results of regression analyses have revelated that maternal infant bonding (p < 0.01) and paternal stress (p < 0.01) are the only predictors of parental postpartum bonding across all included variables. None of investigated socio-demographic variables were associated with paternal postpartum bonding.Conclusion: Notwithstanding limitations, the current findings add to a growing body of literature on paternal postpartum bonding. The results have shown that paternal mental health is related to parental postpartum bonding directly after delivery.Clinical Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04118751.

Perinatal parental mental health problems

The effect of the environment on a child’s development starts in the womb. Many studies have shown that if the mother is stressed, anxious, or depressed during pregnancy, this increases the risk of a range of physical and neurodevelopmental problems for the child, even after allowing for relevant confounders. There is also strong evidence concerning the impact of both maternal and paternal anxiety and depression on parent–infant interaction in the postnatal period. Although there is good evidence for interventions that reduce depression and anxiety during the perinatal period for women, less is currently known about effective interventions for men or effective methods of prevention more generally. Overall, the evidence points to the importance of starting interventions in pregnancy.

Psychosocial profile of encopretic children and their caregivers in relation to parenting style

BackgroundThe role of psychological factors in the development and maintenance of encopresis is controversial.ObjectivesAssessment of the psychosocial profile of encopretic children and their caregivers in relation to parenting style compared to controls.MethodologyThe current cross sectional study comprised 90 Egyptian children classified into three groups: group I (encopresis without constipation and overflow incontinence), group II (encopresis with constipation and overflow incontinence), and group III (clinically healthy controls); each group included 30 children. Thorough clinical evaluation and psychometric assessment were carried out for all enrolled children while caregivers were evaluated for their parenting styles, anxiety, depression, and introversion scores.ResultsHardness, undue blaming, and indecisive parenting styles were significantly more prevalent among caregivers of group I. Encopretic children of group I & II had poorer self-esteem and higher prevalence of clinically manifest depression compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, there was a higher prevalence of clinically manifest paternal anxiety, depression, and introversion and maternal depression among caregivers of group II and higher prevalence of clinically manifest paternal anxiety and depression among fathers of group I.ConclusionThe approach of toilet training, not the time of its initiation, seems to be the factor that really matters in predisposing to and perpetuating encopresis. Further exploration is needed to determine if the documented association of psychological disorders of enrolled encopretic children and their caregivers was causal or being just the impact of the child's encopresis.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Use of Music Intervention for Reducing Anxiety and Promoting Satisfaction in First-Time Filipino Fathers

Childbirth is an anxiety-provoking event in a man’s life. Therefore, strategies to decrease paternal anxiety during childbirth are necessary. This study determined the effects of music and satisfaction of first-time Filipino fathers during childbirth. In the study, a prospective quasi-experimental design was utilized. Ninety-eight purposive samples of first-time fathers were included in the study, 50 were allocated in the experimental group (music group) and 48 in the control group (nonmusic group) during the months of August to October 2013. Paternal anxiety and satisfaction were measured using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Visual Analogue Scale for Satisfaction, respectively. Results revealed that the first-time fathers in the experimental group had lower State Trait Anxiety Inventory scores ( p < .05) and higher Visual Analogue Scale for Satisfaction scores ( p < .05) than those in the control group. Findings of the study provide substantial evidence to support the use of music in reducing anxiety and promoting satisfaction among first-time fathers during childbirth.