First-time fathers' study: Psychological distress in expectatn fathers during pregnancy

Objective: High levels of distress have previously been reported among expectant fathers, with the level of distress for new fathers falling after the birth and during the first year of their infants ’ lives. The aim of the present study was to report on the associations with the fathers ’ initial high levels of distress. Method: The men completed a series of questionnaires on various aspects of their psychological functioning at a baseline assessment when their partners were in the late first trimester of their pregnancy. The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was the key measure of psychological distress for the present study. Men scoring 5 on the GHQ were considered to be cases of distress. The cases and non-cases were contrasted on the baseline psychosocial measures. Results: A total of 312 men completed the questionnaires, of whom 18.6 % were designated as cases. GHQ caseness was associated with high levels of symptoms on other measures of psychological distress, higher levels of alcohol consumption, poorer quality of theircurrent intimate relationship, poorer social support, a lower quality of life, high levels of neuroticism and the use of immature ego defences. Multiple regression analysis identified the ke