Falling short of fatherhood ideals: Masculine gender role stress and emotion dysregulation as mechanisms linking childhood trauma to fathers' depressive symptoms.

Parental depressive symptoms have been primarily documented in mothers during the first postpartum year. Yet, growing evidence shows that fathers also experience depressive symptoms and that these symptoms may persist as parents navigate the challenges of raising toddlers. A history of cumulative childhood trauma is a known risk factor for parental depressive symptoms, but the mechanisms explaining this association in fathers remain understudied. One significant correlate of depressive symptoms in fathers is masculine gender role stress, the distress arising from a perceived inability to meet the expectations associated with a specific gender role. This study focused specifically on masculine gender role stress linked to feelings of subordination to women, which may be especially relevant in parental gender dynamics. Emotion dysregulation has also been examined as a potential explanatory factor linking cumulative childhood trauma and parental depressive symptoms. Using a randomly selected sample of 719 fathers raising a toddler, this study examined the sequential indirect effects of masculine gender role stress and emotion dysregulation in the association between cumulative childhood trauma and parental depressive symptoms. Participants completed self-reported measures online. Results of path analysis revealed that cumulative childhood trauma was sequentially associated with parental depressive symptoms through masculine gender role stress and emotion dysregulation (R2 = 37.2%). These findings underscore the potential relevance of developing trauma-sensitive prevention programs that address emotion dysregulation and masculine gender role stress in early fatherhood. Implications are discussed considering the current sociocultural climate and the resurgence of more rigid forms of masculinity.