Background: Paternal postpartum depression (PPD) adversely affect fathers, with great impact on their health and family wellbeing. While Self-compassion is a suggested protective factors, its role in relationship to PPD among fathers remains underexplored.
Aim: This study aimed to 1) investigate the prevalence of PPD among fathers of infants within 12 months postpartum in Hong Kong, and 2) examine demographic and psychosocial predictors of PPD, including insomnia, self-compassion, resilience, and social support.
Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with fathers of infants aged within 12 months. Participants completed validated measurements assessing depression symptoms (PHQ-9), insomnia (ISI), self-compassion (SCS-SF), social support (MSPSS), emotional regulation (ERQ) and resilience (BRS), alongside demographic information.
Results: Among 260 participants, 22.3% screened positive for PPD (PHQ-9 > 9). Bivariate analyses indicated that higher depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) were significantly correlated with greater insomnia severity, higher expressive suppression and lower social support, self-compassion, cognitive reappraisal, and resilience. In a multivariable logistic regression model, higher insomnia severity (OR = 1.18, p < 0.001) and lower levels of social support (OR = 0.94, p < 0.001) and sel-compassion (OR = 0.87, p =0.003) were independently associated with increased odds of PPD. Older paternal age (OR = 0.88, p = 0.003) and being employed (OR = 0.19, p = 0. 050) were associated with reduced odds of PPD.
Conclusion: Self-compassion, along with social support and lower insomnia severity, are significant protective factors against PPD among new fathers in Hong Kong. These findings support the development of targeted interventions, such as self-compassion training, to promote paternal mental health during the postpartum period.