Identifying depressed fathers during a home visit: why and how.

Fletcher, R; Dowse, E; Hall, P; Hopwood, N; Bennett, E; Erickson, J

Identifying depressed fathers during a home visit: why and how.

Fletcher, R Dowse, E Hall, P Hopwood, N

Bennett, E Erickson, J

Permalink

Publisher:: Informit
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Australian Journal of Child and Family Health Nursing, 2014, 11 (1), pp. 5 - 9 (5)
Issue Date:: 2014-06

Open Access

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Open Access

This item is open access.

Adobe PDF

Download Submitted VersionAdobe PDF (301.91 kB)

View statistics

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Fletcher, R	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Dowse, E	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hall, P	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hopwood, N https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2149-5834	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Bennett, E	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Erickson, J	en_US
dc.date.issued	2014-06	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Australian Journal of Child and Family Health Nursing, 2014, 11 (1), pp. 5 - 9 (5)	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1839-8782	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/30340
dc.description.abstract	The knowledge and expertise required for child and family health nursing practice has continued to evolve as a consequence of research-based interventions and policy changes affecting families. The benefits of sustained home visiting on family health and wellbeing are now accepted and Australian trials have demonstrated improvements in maternal–infant attachment and mothers’ relationship with their child. At the level of clinical practice, best practice approaches for nurses visiting new mothers have moved away from delivering specific clinical procedures to focusing on the particular needs and circumstances of the parent and family, emphasising psychological support and health promotion in partnership and collaboration with parents. A particular focus on detecting postnatal maternal depression has arisen due to the development of the National Perinatal Depression Initiative. Child and family health nurses now regularly screen mothers using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Recent evidence of the impact of fathers’ depression on children and mothers has drawn attention to fathers’ mental health in the perinatal period. Fathers’ postnatal depression has been shown to impact on children’s development at similar levels to mothers’ and while children are most affected by two depressed parents, the effect of fathers’ depression is independent of mood disorder in the mother. Nurses making home visits have an opportunity to engage with fathers and many do so when the father is available. In this paper we present the evidence and rationale for assessing fathers’ depression or anxiety at the postnatal home visit.	en_US
dc.publisher	Informit	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Australian Journal of Child and Family Health Nursing	en_US
dc.title	Identifying depressed fathers during a home visit: why and how.	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	11	en_US
utslib.for	1607 Social Work	en_US
utslib.for	1110 Nursing	en_US
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.consider-herdc	false	en_US
pubs.issue	1	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	11	en_US

Abstract:

The knowledge and expertise required for child and family health nursing practice has continued to evolve as a consequence of research-based interventions and policy changes affecting families. The benefits of sustained home visiting on family health and wellbeing are now accepted and Australian trials have demonstrated improvements in maternal–infant attachment and mothers’ relationship with their child. At the level of clinical practice, best practice approaches for nurses visiting new mothers have moved away from delivering specific clinical procedures to focusing on the particular needs and circumstances of the parent and family, emphasising psychological support and health promotion in partnership and collaboration with parents. A particular focus on detecting postnatal maternal depression has arisen due to the development of the National Perinatal Depression Initiative. Child and family health nurses now regularly screen mothers using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Recent evidence of the impact of fathers’ depression on children and mothers has drawn attention to fathers’ mental health in the perinatal period. Fathers’ postnatal depression has been shown to impact on children’s development at similar levels to mothers’ and while children are most affected by two depressed parents, the effect of fathers’ depression is independent of mood disorder in the mother. Nurses making home visits have an opportunity to engage with fathers and many do so when the father is available. In this paper we present the evidence and rationale for assessing fathers’ depression or anxiety at the postnatal home visit.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/30340