Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation of the French Version of the PAPA Questionnaire Assessing Fathers' Psychological Experience Before and After Birth

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to adapt and validate a French version of the Perinatal Assessment of Paternal Affectivity (PAPA) questionnaire, designed to screen for mental health challenges in fathers during the pre- and postnatal periods. The study addresses the need for a gender-sensitive tool to detect paternal symptoms like anxiety, depression, stress, irritability, and other psychological difficulties, which may differ from those traditionally seen in mothers. Researchers seek to provide a simple, effective way to identify paternal psychological distress in French-speaking populations. The study involves cross-cultural adaptation of the PAPA questionnaire into French, following international guidelines. Male partners of pregnant women or new mothers will complete the questionnaire online either during the third trimester of pregnancy or eight weeks after childbirth. The PAPA assesses eight key areas of mental health symptoms with a 4-point scale, plus additional questions on the fathers' feelings about parenthood. A test-retest reliability check will be performed by having participants complete the questionnaire a second time 10 days after the first. Participants will provide informed consent, and women will not complete questionnaires but their medical and demographic data will be collected. The study will collect data on paternal mental health through questionnaires completed online, along with socio-demographic and medical data from both partners. Researchers will evaluate the reliability of the French-PAPA tool and compare it with other measures like anxiety, depression, and stress scales. The study is observational and participation lasts from the prenatal or postnatal questionnaire completion through the follow-up 10 days later.

Validation of the French Version of the Perinatal Assessment of Paternal Affectivity (PAPA)