Mothers and fathers play an important role in shaping their children’s health and development. Although mothers are still disproportionately responsible for childcare, as fathers continue to be more involved in caring for their children, there is an increased need to understand how fathers can support their children’s mental health. This presentation will synthesise the evidence on how fathers’ involvement can influence child mental health (aged 0-12 years).

In partnership with the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health, we conducted a rapid review on the association between fathers’ involvement and child mental health. Insights from consultations with experts were used to guide the scope of the review. We searched for terms relating to fathers, child mental health and promotion in Medline, PsycInfo and Web of Science from 2012-2022. Peer reviewed literature that was conducted in high-income, English-speaking countries were included. After duplicates were removed, the search returned 5,558 records. Of these, 32 met our inclusion criteria and were narratively synthesised.

Both mothers and fathers can support their children’s mental health. In terms of fathers specifically, behaviours that were associated with promoting child mental health included, interactive activities (e.g., reading, play), being warm and sensitive to the child’s needs, and discipline that is nonphysical, not overly intrusive and consistent. Child and family practitioners and services can intentionally engage with fathers to help them support their children’s mental health. They can also speak with fathers about their parenting and encourage them to engage in behaviours that support child mental health.