Working with men in the context of perinatal depression

Costello, James F.

Abstract

Aim/Purpose: The impact of depression during the perinatal period may extend beyond the mother, having profound implications for the psychological wellbeing of her infant, and her immediate family. From a family systems perspective, interventions which include the father may benefit the family unit because ‘healthy men' provide better care and support. This research aims to improve the provision of support to families affected by perinatal depression.

Design/Methodology: Reflexive action research describes this male clinician's reflection-upon-action, and reflection-in-action when working alongside men affected by perinatal depression. The transformation of practice (action) through the experience of working with over 30 couples, a public consultation group (seven participants) and five narrative case studies is described.

Results/Findings: Men's experiences of couple group-work in the context of their partners' depression is more usefully understood through the lens of socially learnt behaviours. The engagement by men in adaptive help-seeking behaviour may be hindered through the masculine norms of autonomy, a fear of intimacy, an aversion to taking risks with self-esteem, and the unhelpful framing of problems as technical in nature.

Research Limitations: For ethical reasons, the researcher was unable to explore the experiences of workshop participants who were actively engaged in the therapeutic work, beyond standard service evaluation. A significant limitation of work of this type is the absence of longitudinal data which would inform us of longer term outcomes.

Conclusions/Implications: Couple/family group work interventions directed primarily toward supporting male partners of women affected by perinatal depression have been developed, by incorporating a blend of activities congruent with the adaptive tasks in which men engage when overcoming difficulties (ie normalising, reciprocating and re-framing).

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: 18th Annual BACP Research Conference 2012
• Start Date: May 11, 2012
• End Date: May 12, 2012
• Publication Date: May 11, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 7, 2019
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: perinatal depression, masculinity, social learning, groupwork, reflexive action research
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/947268
• Publisher URL: http://www.bacp.co.uk/research/conf_archive/evaluation.php#2012
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : 18th Annual BACP Research Conference 2012