Exploring parental knowledge of fathers’ mental health and its relation to children’s development

Abstract

This study aims to explore parental knowledge of fathers’ mental health and its relation to children’s development. This study especially focuses on fathers’ mental health following childbirth, which is relatively an under-researched area compared to mothers’. This study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the knowledge of parents of children aged 0-3 years regarding the mental health of fathers and its influence on children’s development. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with mothers and fathers from a middle socio-economic background. The findings indicate that both parents are aware that fathers can experience mental health problems after a child is born and that fathers’ mental health influences children’s development. Hence, this study offers a direct path for future research on fathers’ mental health while underscoring the importance of raising awareness among parents and implementing routine mental health screening by professionals in Bangladesh.