Findings reveal childhood maltreatment raises antenatal depression risks in expectant fathers, suggesting screening for depressive symptoms may enhance bonding with the unborn child.
The findings suggest that emotional neglect and abuse during childhood may hinder expectant fathers' emotional bonding with their unborn child by making them more vulnerable to antenatal depression. Emotional neglect, in particular, emerged as a significant risk factor. These results emphasise the importance of screening expectant fathers for early adversity and depressive symptoms, in order to support paternal engagement and infant well-being.
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Bevacqua et al. (2025) studied this question.
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