Depressive Symptoms, Dyadic Coping, and Attachment to the Fetus in Expectant Fathers: A Moderated-Mediation Analysis

Objectives Father-fetal attachment is an important contributor to future father-infant relationship and to child outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine factors potentially associated with the levels of attachment to the fetus. Specifically, we explored the association between fathers’ depressive symptoms and father-fetal attachment and examined the potential mediating role of dyadic coping in this association. Moreover, the moderated role of parity (be or not a first-time father) was tested.