Understanding fathers’ perinatal mental health and well-being support needs: a qualitative study of fathers’ and professionals’ perspectives in North East England and North Cumbria, UK
Ashleigh Elizabeth Watkins, Catherine El Zerbi, Ruth McGovern, Judith Rankin · 2026
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Description
Ashleigh Watkins and co-authors listen to new fathers, and to the professionals meant to support families, about fathers' mental health around a baby's birth. Services focus on mothers, and fathers often report feeling invisible and excluded during pregnancy and the months after. Through interviews and focus groups in North East England and North Cumbria, the team gathered accounts from 21 fathers and 9 professionals.
Two themes organise the findings: the experience of the pregnant and postnatal man, and removing what the authors call the cloak of fatherhood invisibility. Both centre on fathers' isolation and the thin emotional support on offer. The authors argue that bringing fathers properly into perinatal services, rather than treating them as bystanders, would benefit the whole family's wellbeing.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Ashleigh Elizabeth Watkins, Catherine El Zerbi, Ruth McGovern, Judith Rankin |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 72 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |