Project 454489

Poor mental health among women puts children at risk for poor developmental outcomes. However, poor mental health in fathers is just as important yet remains understudied. Most postpartum interventions focus only on women despite women and men having similar rates of postpartum depression and anxiety. My research will examine the effect of a father-targeted postpartum text message program (SMS4dads) on paternal mental health, the interparental relationship, and parenting outcomes. The overall goal is to improve father's mental health outcomes and to provide evidence for family-level perinatal health services. A preventive text message program, SMS4dads, has been developed and used across Australia to improve paternal mental health. The proposed postdoctoral project seeks to: (1) modify the SMS4dads messages for the Canadian context by identifying resources available to fathers across Canada and obtaining father and healthcare provider feedback on acceptability of the program; and (2) evaluate the effect of the SMS4dads text message program on mental health (anxiety and depression), interparental relationships, and parenting outcomes among fathers across Canada. Following the program modifications, we will conduct a randomized controlled trial where we will recruit 164 expecting fathers who will be randomly assigned into either the intervention group (SMS4dads + standard care) or control group (standard care only). All participants will be followed to 6 months postpartum with questionnaires completed antenatally (baseline and 36 weeks' gestation) and postnatally (12 and 24 weeks postpartum). We anticipate that fathers who receive the intervention will have better mental health, interparental relationships, and parenting outcomes postnatally than those who receive standard care. The results from this study will help us understand the effectiveness and uptake of a father-targeted intervention for the prevention of postpartum depression and anxiety.