The association between paternal housework and childcare with parents’ health in the postpartum period

Problem: The postpartum period is associated with poor maternal mental and physical health. Background: Parental domestic labor may help support maternal health; little is known about how it may help during the postpartum period. Study aims: 1) describe the trend of father's domestic labor (childcare and housework) across the postpartum period, 2) examine the agreement between perceived and reported domestic labor between mothers and fathers, and 3) explore the relationship between father's domestic labor and parental outcomes. Methods: These secondary analyses included fathers and mothers from a 6-month longitudinal randomized controlled trial to increase new parents’ physical activity (PA) in the postpartum period. Fathers and mothers self-reported their domestic labor (childcare and housework, levels: low [1–25 %], middle [26–50 %] or high [51–75 %]), perceptions of partner's domestic labor, PA, sleep, stress, and physical health at 2-months, 4-months, 6-months, and 8-months postpartum. Findings: Among 164 individuals (52 intact couples, 31.5 ± 4.5 y, 53.6 % mothers, 82.8 % White), fathers self-reported they contributed a middle amount of childcare across time, and initially a high amount of housework (2-months) which was reduced to the middle amount at other time points. Mothers’ perception was positively related to fathers’ domestic labor. Fathers’ perception was positively related to mothers’ housework. Fathers were divided into three domestic labor involvement categories; these categories were associated with higher maternal PA. Discussion: These findings highlight the fathers’ contribution to domestic labor in the postpartum period, and opportunities to support parental health behaviors. Conclusions: Interventional evidence is required to optimize domestic labor and new parent's health.