Fathers' mental Ill-health and child maltreatment: A systematic review of the literature.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Parental mental ill-health is often described as a risk factor for child maltreatment. Yet the literature commonly foregrounds maternal mental ill-health. To obtain a more complete picture, it is crucial to also understand the associations between fathers' mental health and child maltreatment.

Aim

To provide a narrative synthesis of evidence about the relationship between fathers' mental health and child maltreatment.

Method

Four electronic databases were searched, identifying 5479 citations. 151 studies were brought to full-text review. 37 were included in the study.

Results

Studies revealed mixed evidence for associations between forms of paternal mental ill health and child maltreatment, with stronger evidence for paternal depression and weak or n

SUBMITTER: Holdroyd I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10847972 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature