New Fathers, Mental Health and Digital Communication | 1:a upplagan

This book explores the experiences of new fathers negotiating perinatal mental health difficulties, focusing on the role of digital media as part of approaches to coping, amidst challenges coming to terms with and seeking help for paternal struggles. The authors show how the ways new fathers are positioned makes it hard for them to recognize their struggles as legitimate, let alone disclose them to others. They then explore a spectrum of digital engagement, from selective forms of disengagement to different approaches to the seeking out of online information or support, highlighting glimpses of agency amongst even the smallest digital acts. Detailed attention is devoted to the development of coded forms of online disclosure and of supportive digital interactions and intimacies. The authors’ conclusions highlight the agentic possibilities of digital media as part of coping journeys while emphasizing the need for change in how new fathers are prepared, positioned and supported.