Fathers in the Shadows: The Systemic Neglect of Paternal Mental Health in Perinatal Care

Abstract

Paternal perinatal mental health is an emerging but often neglected aspect of family well-being. While maternal mental health has historically received substantial attention, fathers also face significant emotional and psychological challenges during pregnancy and the first year after childbirth. Despite this, healthcare systems, policies, and research remain predominantly mothercentred, leaving fathers invisible within perinatal care. The paper argues that paternal mental health matters because of its profound impact on maternal recovery, child development, family stability, and wider social outcomes. Yet systemic neglect reflected in healthcare guidelines, policy gaps, research bias, and clinical practices perpetuates fathers’ exclusion. Cultural and structural barriers, including stigma tied to masculinity norms, limited involvement of fathers in perinatal care, low provider awareness, and weak health infrastructure, further constrain recognition and support. To address these gaps, the paper makes a case for family-centred perinatal care in Nigeria. This includes screening fathers alongside mothers, training health workers to engage men, designing culturally inclusive interventions, and embedding paternal mental health into national health policies. A call to action emphasizes the role of health education in policy reform, clinical practice, future research, and community-level change to bring fathers out of the shadows. In conclusion, the paper emphasises that promoting paternal mental health is not optional but a public health imperative. Among others, it was recommended that government and policy makers should integrate paternal perinatal mental health into Nigeria’s national reproductive and maternal health policies by mandating screening and support services for fathers alongside mothers in all healthcare facilities.