The relationship between paternal depression and family functioning: Meta-analyses on child, parenting, and marital outcomes
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Date
2019-01-17
Authors
Cheung, Kristene
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Abstract
The current research literature on paternal depression and family functioning provides conflicting findings regarding the strength and direction of the association between paternal depression and negative family outcomes, including child externalizing behaviours, parenting behaviours, and marital quality. Meta-analyses are an efficient method of summarizing and analyzing mixed findings within the literature; however, the most recent meta-analyses on the present topic are outdated and only examined the association between paternal depression and child outcomes. The main objective of this research was to provide an updated summary of the strength and direction of the relationship between paternal depression and the following outcomes across three individual studies: (a) child externalizing behaviours (Study 1), (b) parenting behaviours (Study 2), and (c) marital quality (Study 3). The current dissertation found a small relationship between paternal depressive symptoms and child externalizing behaviors, negative parenting behaviors, and mother-rated marital quality. The relationship between paternal depressive symptoms and father-rated marital quality was medium. The relationship between paternal depressive symptoms and negative parenting behaviors was significantly moderated by the informant of the parenting behavior and the parenting behavior assessment. The outcomes of this dissertation suggest that practitioners should be mindful of the relationship between paternal depressive symptoms and the above family-related outcomes. Suggestions for future research and treatment implications are provided.
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Keywords
Paternal, Family, Externalizing behaviours, Marital quality, Meta-analysis, Parenting behaviours, Paternal depression, Depression