A randomized controlled trial investigating the impact of coping strategies training for fathers during pregnancy on postnatal depression among couples

Mozaffari, R, Bahrami, N, Bahramkhani, M, Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524 and Alimoradi, Z, 2025. A randomized controlled trial investigating the impact of coping strategies training for fathers during pregnancy on postnatal depression among couples. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, 46 (1): 2566074. ISSN 0167-482X

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Abstract

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant public health concern affecting both mothers and fathers, with paternal well-being being a crucial yet often neglected factor in family mental health.

Objective: The present study investigated the impact of coping strategies training for fathers during pregnancy on couples' PPD.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted comprising 86 couples experiencing first-time pregnancy (43 per group) in Qazvin, Iran, in 2024. The intervention group received five virtual sessions (45–60 min each) on coping strategies, while the control group received routine prenatal education through their routine prenatal care visits.

Results: Post-intervention, couples' perceived stress scores decreased significantly at the first and second follow-up in the intervention vs. control group. The training significantly increased problem-focused strategy scores by 2.76 points among mothers (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 1.51) and 1.89 points among fathers (SMD = 0.99) compared to controls at one-month postpartum, while reducing emotion-focused coping among mothers by −2.23 points (SMD = −1.03) and among fathers by −1.71 points (SMD = −0.77). PPD scores were significantly lower in the intervention group (mean difference of −5.51 among women and −4.55 among men; both p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Antenatal coping strategies training for fathers can be an effective intervention to mitigate PPD by reducing their stress.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology
Creators:	Mozaffari, R., Bahrami, N., Bahramkhani, M., Griffiths, M.D. and Alimoradi, Z.
Publisher:	Informa UK Limited
Date:	2025
Volume:	46
Number:	1
ISSN:	0167-482X
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/0167482x.2025.2566074 DOI 2511052 Other
Rights:	© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	28 Oct 2025 13:09
Last Modified:	28 Oct 2025 13:09
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/54634

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