Mindfulness for men with pregnant partners: An integrative literature review (Part two)

Both men and women can experience depressive or anxious episodes when transitioning to parenthood. Mindfulness interventions are one way to teach men coping strategies to manage these feelings. Aim This integrative review examined original research, evaluating mindfulness as an intervention for men during the perinatal period. Methods A comprehensive search resulted in 157 articles. After applying defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 2 original research papers remained. Thematic analysis identified five themes, the first three of which were discussed in Part I of this article. Findings Mindfulness based stress reduction strategies for men have been shown to be effective across a range of health issues, although there is little research during the perinatal period. Research suggests that men engaged in mindfulness based stress reduction in the perinatal period experienced better regulation of emotions and stress, and felt more present for their pregnant partners. Conclusions To improve men’s wellbeing, innovative ways of providing perinatal mindfulness based stress reduction are needed. New or adapted mindfulness based stress reduction programmes are needed to improve men’s awareness, empathy, self-esteem and psychological wellbeing to better support their pregnant partners.