The effect of parental training on the rate of depression in fathers after the first parental experience

Abstract

The transition to the parental stage and associated lifestyle changes can be a stressful event for parents. With respect to the importance of this issue, the present study was designed to investigate the effects of parental education on the rate of depression in fathers after the first parental experience. In this quasi-experimental study, 200 men who were experiencing fatherhood for the first time, entered the study voluntarily and were randomly distributed into intervention and control groups. The results of the present study indicated no significant difference (p-value = 0.076) in the mean score of depression for both control and trial groups before the intervention, however, the mean score showed a significant difference between these groups after the intervention (p-value = 0.001). Economic status (p-value = 0.026), age of marriage (p-value = 0.032) and duration of marriage (p-value = 0.019) among the demographic characteristics had a significant effect on the rate of depression in the intervention group. Being in a good economic state increased the effectiveness of the training course, and in terms of the lowest rate of depression, the age of 21 to 25, and the 4 to 6 years since marriage were the best age and interval for one to become a father in this study, respectively. The results of this study showed that parental education during pregnancy and increasing the knowledge and awareness of fathers regarding parenting roles reduces the rate of depression in men. Therefore, parental education is recommended to facilitate the transition to parenthood in men