Fathers do matter -Effects of paternal parental stress and health behaviors on pregnancy outcomes in Taiwan

Background:

Paternal factors may be involved to affect pregnancy outcomes, possibly through their effects on maternal stress or health behaviors. Although the significance of paternal roles has been highlighted, most studies relied on the mother as a proxy reporter and only a limited and rather narrow examination (e.g., age, anthropometry, education) was conducted to consider paternal impacts. Little attention was placed on psychosocial domains. Our study was thus aimed to investigate the effects of paternal parental stress and health behaviors on pregnancy outcomes, with simultaneous consideration on maternal emotional status.

Methods:

A total of 540 pregnant women and their partners were recruited for participation during their first trimester prenatal visits in Taipei from 2011-2014. They were followed three times till childbirth. Self-reported data were collected for both mothers and fathers, using the Parental Stress Scale (e.g., I feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of being a parent), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and questions on paternal factors (e.g., lifestyle). Multivariate regression models were used.

Results:

Fathers’ high parental stress was independently associated with a 1.46- (95%CI=1.12-1.96), 1.81- (95%CI=1.43-2.31), and 1.26- fold (95%CI=1.01-1.48) increased risk of low birthweight infants, preterm delivery, and infants small for gestational age, respectively, after adjusting for maternal characteristics. Elevated risks were also found for paternal poor lifestyle. The risks were more prominent among women with prenatal depression/anxiety.

Conclusions                       

Our study highlights the need to consider significant influences that paternal psychosocial/parental factors may bring to bear on the pregnancy and ultimately birth outcomes in the community prenatal care program.