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Hostile sexism is related to worse mental health outcomes among fathers

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Abstract

Objective

Transition to parenthood is a life-changing yet stressful event for both men and women. The present study aims to: (1) establish the incidence of prenatal paternal depression and anxiety in a sample of expectant fathers and (2) assess the relationship between sexist beliefs and mental health outcomes.

Methods

We recruited expectant fathers (n = 100) who attended the Gynecology and Obstetrics Outpatient Clinic of Eskişehir Osmangazi University Hospital with their pregnant partners. Fathers completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Ambivalent Sexism Scale.

Results

36% of expectant fathers reported depression, and 12% reported anxiety. Hostile sexism was correlated with depression (r = 0.303, p < 0.01), and anxiety (r = 0.228, p < 0.05). Benevolent sexism was not related to anxiety or depression (each, p > 0.05). Family social support (p = 0.004) and perceived financial satisfaction (p = 0.027) predicted anxiety, while family social support (p < 0.001) and perceived financial satisfaction (p = 0.036) predicted depression. Hostile sexism predicted both anxiety (B = 0.28, p = 0.004) and depression (B = 0.32, p < 0.001).

Limitations

Results may not show a causal relationship due to the study’s cross-sectional design. We recruited participants in only one center. Our measures of anxiety and depression were purely psychometric.

Conclusions

Sexist beliefs may serve as environmental stressors among men in the perinatal period by increasing the masculine role stress. Future interventions to treat prenatal paternal depression may target sexism.

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Data availability

The data of this study are available from the corresponding author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, Turkey

    İmran Gökçen Yılmaz-Karaman & Hale Kocabacak

  2. Perinatology Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, Turkey

    Melih Velipaşaoğlu

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Blanca Bolea

  4. Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, Canada

    Blanca Bolea

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  1. İmran Gökçen Yılmaz-Karaman
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Correspondence to İmran Gökçen Yılmaz-Karaman.

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Conflict of interest

All the authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Eskişehir Osmangazi University approved this study at 26.01.2021 with decision number 04. The study is performed in adherence to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Written informed consent was obtained from all the participants included in the study.

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Yılmaz-Karaman, İ.G., Kocabacak, H., Velipaşaoğlu, M. et al. Hostile sexism is related to worse mental health outcomes among fathers. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 59, 295–303 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-023-02536-7

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