Foundations for Fatherhood: Introducing World-First Preconception Guidelines for Paternal Mental Healthcare
Description
The Western Pacific Preconception Health Network invites you to join our upcoming webinar:
Foundations for Fatherhood: Introducing World-First Preconception Guidelines for Paternal Mental Healthcare
Historically, men and boys have received little consideration in preconception care and education. Guidelines have minimally recognised the importance of men in family planning, pregnancy or child outcomes and no guidelines have specifically focused on future fathers' mental health. 1 in 10 men experience perinatal mental health problems; of these men, approximately 80% exhibit symptoms of psychological distress in adolescence and/or young adulthood.
In this webinar we present Foundations for Fatherhood: Australian Preconception Guidelines for Paternal Mental Healthcare. These world-first guidelines include 6 principles of care and 30 public health and clinical practice recommendations to specifically promote future fathers’ mental health. We propose opportunities for healthcare practitioners, educators, parents and carers, policy specialists and researchers to support men’s and boys’ health and wellbeing in meaningful and developmentally appropriate ways, even before fatherhood may be ‘on their radars’.
These guidelines are for:
Healthcare practitioners and organisations
Educators, and schools and tertiary education institutions
Parents, carers and families
Government, policy makers and advisors
Researchers
The guidelines form part of the project 1 in 10 Men: Prevention and Treatment of Paternal Mental Health Problems, funded by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Million Minds Mental Health Research Grant (MRF2026823). Led by the Deakin Lifespan Institute in collaboration with international experts, the guidelines have been developed in partnership with Healthy Male, Movember, the Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium, and interest-holder groups of healthcare practitioners and men from diverse backgrounds.
Event Details:
📅 When: Thursday 19 November 2026
⏰ Time: 12pm – 1pm (AEDT Time)
📍 Platform: Online Zoom Webinar
This webinar is free to attend, but registration is essential.
Host
Simon von Saldern
The webinar will be hosted by Simon von Saldern, CEO of Healthy Male.
Presenters
Associate Professor Jacqui Macdonald
Associate Professor Jacqui Macdonald has led the development of the guidelines as the Principal Investigator of the Medical Research Future Fund project: 1 in 10 men: Informing prevention of and treatment for paternal mental health problems. She leads the Centre for Fatherhood Research within the Deakin Lifespan Institute and is one of four Professorial Fellows worldwide with the Movember Institute of Men’s Health Discovery Research Program.
Associate Professor Zac Seidler
Associate Professor Zac Seidler is a Clinical Psychologist, Global Director of Men's Health Research at the Movember Institute of Men’s Health, an NHMRC Emerging Leader Investigator and Leader of the Young Men’s Mental Health Lab at Orygen at The University of Melbourne (he is also a newish father 🙂).
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