Gender-Sensitive Screening for Paternal Mental Health: Psychometric properties of the Perinatal Assessment of Paternal Affectivity (PAPA) for the postnatal period.

Despite growing recognition of fathers' involvement in caregiving, paternal mental health during the perinatal period remains insufficiently explored. Recent evidence indicates that fathers may experience perinatal affective symptoms through externalizing behaviors, somatization, and addictive tendencies, which can negatively affect father-infant interactions and partner relationships. This study aims to validate the Perinatal Assessment of Paternal Affectivity (PAPA), previously validated in the prenatal period, in a sample of Italian fathers postnatally. Data from 221 fathers (mean age = 36.02 years, SD = 5.66, range 22-63 years) with children aged 1 to 15 months (mean age = 7.55 months, SD = 4.60) were collected through an online survey administered via Qualtrics. The survey included different validated self-reports, comprising the PAPA, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Brief Coparenting Relationship Scale, and the Infant Behavior Questionnaire. Confirmatory analyses supported the one-factor structure of PAPA with good internal consistency. The instrument showed evidence of validity based on relations to other variables, with associations in the expected direction with criterion measures. Overall, findings support the PAPA as a reliable and valid instrument for assessing postnatal paternal affective symptoms, with potential clinical utility in identifying fathers at risk.