title: Perinatal Parenting Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Outcomes in First-Time Mothers and Fathers: A 3- to 6-Months Postpartum Follow-Up Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although there is an established link between parenting stress, postnatal depression, and anxiety, no study has yet investigated this link in first-time parental couples. The specific aims of this study were 1) to investigate whether there were any differences between first-time fathers' and mothers' postnatal parenting stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms and to see their evolution between three and 6 months after their child's birth; and 2) to explore how each parent's parenting stress and anxiety levels and the anxiety levels and depressive symptoms of their partners contributed to parental postnatal depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample included 362 parents (181 couples; mothers' M Age = 35.03, SD = 4.7; fathers' M Age = 37.9, SD = 5.6) of healthy babies. At three (T1) and 6 months (T2) postpartum, both parents filled out, in a counterbalanced order, the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analyses showed that compared to fathers, mothers reported higher scores on postpartum anxiety, depression, and parenting stress. The scores for all measures for both mothers and fathers decreased from T1 to T2. However, a path analysis suggested that the persistence of both maternal and paternal postnatal depression was directly influenced by the parent's own levels of anxiety and parenting stress and by the presence of depression in his/her partner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights the relevant impact and effects of both maternal and paternal stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms during the transition to parenthood. Therefore, to provide efficacious, targeted, early interventions, perinatal screening should be directed at both parents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vismara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Torino Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rollè
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, University of Bologna Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Agostini
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sechi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fenaroli
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Molgora
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, University of Bologna Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Torino Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Prino
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Flaminia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Odorisio
authors.affiliation: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Roma Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trovato
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological, Educational and Training Sciences, University of Palermo Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Polizzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Torino Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Piera
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brustia
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lucarelli
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, University of Bologna Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Saita
authors.affiliation: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Roma Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tambelli
keywords: fathers; follow-up study; mothers; parenting stress; perinatal anxiety; postnatal depression; transition to parenthood