Background: Paternal perinatal depression (PPD) affects approximately 10% of fathers, underscoring an urgent need for accessible, father-focused mental health interventions.
Aims: This pilot study aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a brief online self-compassion intervention for fathers of infants experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms.
Methods: As part of a large project, a non-randomized controlled pilot was conducted with 45 fathers (intervention: n = 22; control: n = 23). The intervention consisted of five sessions, one in-person and four online based on Compassion-Focused Therapy. Feasibility was measured via recruitment and retention rates; acceptability was evaluated through post-intervention surveys and semi-structured interviews. Preliminary effectiveness was assessed, including depression, anxiety, self-compassion, psychological flexibility, emotion regulation, resilience, insomnia, parental stress, and parenting competence at baseline and immediate post-intervention. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and paired t-tests. Directed content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data.
Results: Recruitment was completed within two months, with 97.8% retention. The intervention group showed significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms, cognitive emotion regulation, self-compassion, and parenting competence (all p < 0.05). No significant between-group differences were found for anxiety, psychological flexibility, insomnia, resilience, expressive emotion regulation, or parenting stress. Participants reported high satisfaction. Qualitative data analysis revealed four themes: 1) Appreciating structured "me time"; 2) Reducing isolation through peer connection and normalized stress; 3) Positive perceptions of mindfulness and self-compassion practices. 4) Flexibility as a key facilitator of engagement.
Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates that a brief, online mindfulness and self-compassion intervention is feasible, acceptable, and preliminary effective in reducing depression and improving key psychosocial outcomes among fathers with PPD. Findings support the need for a future randomized controlled trial to confirm efficacy and optimize implementation.