An Online Self-compassion Intervention for Anxiety and Depression in Fathers of Infants: A Feasibility Study

Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Postpartum Depression (PPD)

Treatments: Other: Online self-compassion intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07077759

HE-RD/2025/1.8

Details and patient eligibility

About

To investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of an online mindfulness and self-compassion intervention for the mental health in fathers experiencing paternal perinatal depression (PPD).

Full description

The pilot non-RCT will be assessed using an online survey and semi-structured individual interviews. Preliminary effectiveness measures include self-compassion, emotion regulation, resilience, parenting sense of competence, parental stress, marital satisfaction, insomnia, generalized anxiety, and PPD measured at baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 2-month follow-up. Mixed-effects models will test changes between groups, while directed content analysis will be employed for qualitative data.

Enrollment: 40 estimated patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• aged 18 years or above
• the biological father who is expecting or the biological father of infants within 24 months old
• experienced mild to moderate anxiety (5 ≤ GAD ≤14) or depression symptoms (5≤ PHQ ≤ 19)
• sufficient comprehension of Cantonese
• currently live in Hong Kong
• able to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• currently experiencing psychosis
• having an intellectual disability
• experiencing current suicidal ideation
• participation in a similar study or received similar services in the past year

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Online self-compassion intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in the self-compassion group will receive five consecutive weekly sessions intervention.

Treatment:

Other: Online self-compassion intervention

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in the waiting-list control group will receive the same training after the completion of the intervention at a 2-month follow-up.