First timer dads-to-be more stressed about new duties : survey

Sydney, Nov 5 (UNI) First-time expectant fathers are almost four times more stressed than other men as they fear losing their partner's affection and a carefree life, an Australian study shows.

The study which surveyed more than 300 dads-to-be was recently published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, and found that 18.6 per cent of dads showed high levels of psychological distress.

It also revealed that men worry about their new post-natal financial responsibilities and being unprepared for the practicalities of caring for an infant.

And those who are protective about their partner are more anxious during pregnancy when their partners are under the care of midwives and obstetricians, but most of these worries evaporate after the birth, the survey adds.

''The issues faced by men during the transition to parenthood have taken second place to the extensive work on women's distress, especially postnatal depression,'' Lead author of the study Prof Philip Boyce said.

''While we found no increased risk of post-natal depression among men, we found men experienced significant distress when their partners were pregnant,'' he said.

''So you could argue that for men, the stress is in discovering their partner is pregnant, not actually having the child, ''Prof Boyce added.

UNI