Graduation Year
2025
Degree Type
Open Access Capstone
Document Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing
First Advisor
Dr. Fontaine Sands
Department Affiliation
Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing
Second Advisor
Dr. Brooke Bentley
Department Affiliation
Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing
Department Affiliation
Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing
Abstract
Paternal postpartum depression is a common phenomenon occurring in fathers. Healthcare professionals and the general population are often unaware of this diagnosis for new fathers. According to the literature, paternal postpartum depression occurs in one out of every ten fathers. Currently, at the agency in which this project was implemented, new fathers are not screened for paternal postpartum depression, only the mothers. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to screen fathers with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale initially in the hospital setting and then 30 days later. During the implementation phase, 50 fathers were recruited to be screened with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression scale in the hospital setting after the infant was born, and those initially negative, to be screened 30 days later. Fathers who had a positive score received resources for paternal postpartum depression and these fathers also received a follow-up correspondence two weeks after the positive screening to see if they had scheduled an appointment with a doctor or therapist. The initial positive screening rate was 12%. Of the eligible fathers for the second 30-day screening, 23% completed the screening. Of those, there was a 20% positive rate. The overall positive screening rate for both depression screenings was 16%. This Doctor of Nursing Practice project showed value in implementing paternal postpartum depression screenings in the postpartum hospital setting.
Keywords: fathers, dads, paternal, male, paternal postpartum depression, postnatal depression, depression, and depressive disorder
Copyright
2025 Denise M. Lindstrom
Recommended Citation
Lindstrom, Denise M., "Including Dads in the Discussion: A Quality Improvement Project for Implementing Paternal Postpartum Depression Screening" (2025). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 119.
https://encompass.eku.edu/dnpcapstones/119
IRB Approval Number (if applicable)
006131
