The Perinatal Assessment of Paternal Affectivity (PAPA): Italian validation of a new tool for the screening of perinatal depression and affective disorders in fathers

Background Questionnaires for the screening of paternal perinatal psychological distress are based on clinical manifestations expressed by women, showing limitations in capturing the wide array of signs and symptoms exhibited by men. The current study aimed to validate the Perinatal Assessment of Paternal Affectivity, a new self-report tool for the screening of paternal depressive and affective disorder. Method This study used a cross-sectional design with a 3-month test-retest, involving respectively 385 (T1) and a sub-sample of 111(T2) fathers. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to test structural validity and concurrent validity was assessed by Spearman correlations. We assessed reliability using McDonald's ω and ordinal alpha. Group differences in PAPA scores based on sociodemographic were also tested. Results The CFA reported a one factor structure as the optimal solution. The PAPA also showed adequate reliability and internal consistency as well as acceptable test–retest indices. Concurrent validity was confirmed by significant correlations between PAPA total score and standardized test scores. Non-Italian fathers and fathers who experienced recent stressful life events reported higher PAPA scores. Limitations Our sample was not homogeneous in terms of nationality and most of the participants, were from Northern Italy. Some risk factors associated with paternal parental psychological distress (e.g., unplanned pregnancy) have not been considered. Conclusion This study provides initial evidence of validity and reliability of the PAPA as a brief and sensitive screening tool to detect signs and symptoms of paternal affective disorder during both prenatal and postnatal period.