Helping Fathers in the Perinatal Period: A Mapping Review of Paternal Mental Health Issues for Social Workers

Abstract

The absence of father-focused perinatal research and the prioritizing of child- and family-focused perinatal research is particularly noticeable within social work literature. While recent social work scholarship on research related to paternal mental health and the experience of fathers exists, it is sparse. Focused on what is currently known about helping fathers in the perinatal period, this mapping review was done to explore existing and relevant knowledge related to practices to better serve fathers and their families. Themes among the existing knowledge related to developmental change, traumatic birth, paternal mental health, interventions, neurobiology, and policy will be discussed before concluding with a focus on emerging focal points for future research related to nurturing fathers during perinatal care.