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© 2018 Australian College of Midwives Background: It is relatively common in Western Australia for men to commute long distances and work away from home for extended periods of time, often referred to as fly-in-fly-out work. Women are particularly susceptible to the effects of stress during pregnancy, and the absence of a partner due to working away could be an additional risk to their wellbeing. While there is little published fly-in-fly-out literature, there is evidence that working non-standard hours, more generally, has a negative impact on health and well-being of workers and their families. Aim: To determine if there is an association between pregnant women's report of stress and their partners working fly-in-fly-out, and if so, is there is a differential impact that is dependent on family socioeconomic status. Methods: Data from a Western Australian pregnancy cohort study were analysed (n = 394 families). Couples completed self-report ratings of anxiety, depression, stress, family functioning, and stressful life events. Comparisons were made between three groups: fly-in-fly-out workers, non-fly-in-fly-out regular schedule workers, and non-fly-in-fly-out irregular schedule workers. Results: After controlling for a range of variables, women's stress was significantly associated (p <.05) with their partners working fly-in-fly-out. Neither women's education, partners’ occupation nor an interaction between partners’ fly-in-fly-out work and partners’ occupation were significantly associated with women's stress. Conclusion: There is some evidence that the pregnant partners of fly-in-fly-out workers perceive their lives to be more stressful than women whose partner works non-fly-in-fly-out regular schedules.

While past research on the care of infants has been mostly with mothers, in recent times there has been a renewed attention to the father–infant relationship. This study examined differences between mother and father parental reflective functioning (PRF) or parental mentalizing; that is, the parental capacity to reason about their own and their children's behaviors by taking into consideration intentional mental states. Data were collected from 120 couples with a 1-year-old child who were participants in the West Australian Peel Child Health Study. Parental mentalizing was assessed using the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ; Luyten, Mayes, Nijssens, & Fonagy, 2017). Results showed that mother and father mentalizing with their children was independent and that mothers scored slightly higher levels of mentalizing than did fathers. Paternal mentalizing was weakly associated with family income and father education, and was more strongly associated with family functioning than with maternal mentalizing. Implications for theorizing on PRF and fatherhood more generally are discussed.

© 2016 Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology. Objective: The project aimed to test of the quality and acceptability of researcher-developed Short Message Service (SMS) messages designed to support fathers of infants aged 12 months or less. Background: The findings of previous studies suggest antenatal and postnatal depression among fathers’ impacts negatively on the health of family members. Method: Draft messages were first modified based on expert review. In a second phase, parents (mothers n = 56; fathers n = 46; unknown n = 4) were recruited through two early childhood parenting services to rate the clarity, usefulness and relevance of the 70 SMS messages using a paper-based survey. In a third phase, 15 fathers were recruited to receive texts at different times over three weeks. Results: Findings suggest that SMS items were easily understood by the majority of parents, with only 3% of responses indicating an item was ‘not easily understood’. Feedback from parents indicated that negatively rated SMS messages were considered as either poorly phrased, lacking enough information or as not offering sufficient support. The majority (88%) of the SMS items were also rated as ‘useful’ by the parents. Conclusion: Fathers’ responses indicated that receiving the texts at different times was acceptable and that message content was relevant to their fathering. The study has produced a set of brief text messages suitable and acceptable to new fathers and their partners.

Rasch measurement analysis and theory was used to critically examine data from the recently developed Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ) for both mothers and fathers in the context of the longitudinal Peel Child Health Study (N = 120 families). Data from a subset of seven items proved to be a valid measure of child-focused parental mentalizing (PRFQ-CF). Properties of the PRFQ-CF are described in detail and the shortcomings of other PRFQ subscales are identified.

Aim The study aim was to hear the male voice describing the experience of postnatal depression (PND) and to develop a conceptual framework, which would explain this experience. Background Given the relatively large body of research on the nature of PND from the woman's perspective and the general movement towards family-centred practice, it seemed timely to undertake a study that concentrated on the male experience of having a partner with PND. Method Seven men whose partners were currently experiencing, or who had recently experienced moderate to severe PND, participated in unstructured interviews. Grounded theory methodology was used to explore the male experience of living with a partner suffering from PND. Results Data analysis revealed four categories in the process of living through the experience of a partner's PND: "out of control", "coming to the realisation", "making sense of it", and "the road to recovery". The core variable, "surviving PND" integrates the categories and encapsulates the process of transition experienced by the men. Conclusions The consequences of "surviving PND" are explained by the men as both losses and gains. For some men there was a sense of vulnerability and emotional drain because they had poured so much energy and self into the women and their needs for recovery. "Surviving PND" also had significant impact on the relationship, both in a positive and negative way. In addition, all men developed an increased understanding and gained personal insight into themselves, their partner and people in general. Implications for clinical practice This research increases our understanding of the male experience of PND and may be drawn on to inform the practice of nurses and other health care or early parenting professionals.

This paper considers the ways men succeed or grow stronger (strengths perspectives) in the transition to fatherhood. Becoming a father is a normative life event for a man that presents a unique opportunity for developmental growth. This aspect of fatherhood has rarely been addressed in psychological literature despite the growing interest in fatherhood and strengths perspectives. An overview is given of fathering literature with attention to the transition to fatherhood, positive outcomes and strengths, and recent Australian studies. Models and classifications of strengths are introduced, including findings from the positive psychology movement (C. Peterson & M. E. P. Seligman, 2004) and family strengths model (J. DeFrain, 1999). Finally, applications of strengths perspectives to the transition to fatherhood are discussed, and suggestions are made regarding future research.

Bennett, E., Simpson, W., Cooke, D., Banham, V., Strange, C., & Munns, A. (2021). Sustaining an interprofessional culture of research and evaluation within a community parenting and early childhood organisation. Journal of Children and Young People's Health, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.33235/jcyph.2.1.19-26

Cooke, D., Marais, I., Cavanagh, R., Kendall, G., Priddis, L. (2015). Differences between Mothers' and Fathers' Ratings of Family Functioning with the Family Assessment Device: The Validity of Combined Parent Scores in Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 48(3), 226-237. Available here.

Cooke, D., Priddis, L., Luyten, P., Kendall, G., & Cavanagh, R. (2017). Paternal and Maternal Reflective Functioning in the Western Australian Peel Child Health Study. Infant Mental Health Journal, 38(5), 561-574. Available here.