--- title: How to Help Dads with Depression description: Recent research can help you understand how to help dads with depression better connect with their children. image: https://www.fatherhood.org/hubfs/Images/Blog/NFI_Blog_help-dads-w-depression.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/how-to-help-dads-with-depression#main) - [![NFI mark](https://www.fatherhood.org/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI%20mark.svg)FATHERHOOD.ORG](https://www.fatherhood.org/) - [STORE.FATHERHOOD.ORG](https://store.fatherhood.org/) [![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=149&height=82&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=119&height=65&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=119&height=66&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=89&height=49&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ](https://www.fatherhood.org) - [How To Build Strong Families](https://www.fatherhood.org/build-strong-families) - [Why Father Inclusion Matters](https://www.fatherhood.org/why-father-inclusion-matters) - Show submenu for Get Involved Get Involved - [Fatherhood Programs](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/programs-and-resources) - [Train Your Staff](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/staff-training) - [State, County, and City Agency Services](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/collaborative-services) Open main navigation Close main navigation - Show submenu for Get Informed Get Informed - [How To Build Strong Families](https://www.fatherhood.org/build-strong-families) - [Why Father Inclusion Matters](https://www.fatherhood.org/why-father-inclusion-matters) - [Father Stats & Infographics](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-absence-statistic) - Show submenu for Get Involved Get Involved - [Fatherhood Programs](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/programs-and-resources) - [Train Your Staff](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/staff-training) - [State, County, and City Agency Services](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/collaborative-services) - Show submenu for Get Started Get Started - [Find Your Stage of Father Inclusion](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-inclusion) - [How Father Friendly Is Your Organization?](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-friendly) - [Get In Touch](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) [Store](https://store.fatherhood.org/?hsLang=en) [Get In Touch](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) [Store](https://store.fatherhood.org/?hsLang=en) Show submenu for Get Started Get Started - [Fatherhood Data & Statistics](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-absence-statistic) - [How Father Friendly is Your Organization?](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-friendly) - [Other Free Resources](https://www.fatherhood.org/nfi-free-resources) - [Talk With us to Get Started](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) National Fatherhood Initiative Blog / [Latest Articles](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood) [General Fatherhood Program Resources](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/topic/general-fatherhood-program-resources) # How to Help Dads with Depression 2 min read ![Christopher A. Brown](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/chris_circle_icon.png?width=100&height=100&name=chris_circle_icon.png) [** Christopher A. Brown ** ](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/author/christopher-a-brown) Chris serves as the President of National Fatherhood Initiative® (NFI), where he is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of NFI's strategic plan and business model, as well as its operations and fundraising efforts. ![NFI_Blog_help-dads-w-depression](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/Blog/NFI_Blog_help-dads-w-depression.jpg?width=453&name=NFI_Blog_help-dads-w-depression.jpg) Do you work with dads who have experienced depression? If so, some exciting research has emerged on how the development of self-efficacy around being a good father can mitigate the effects of depression in dads. That mitigation is vital because it can improve the relationships between dads and their children. Specifically, researchers conducted a [study of more than 100 low-income dads](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190740920321800?utm_campaign=Economic%20Studies&utm_content=104139679&utm_medium=email&utm_source=hs_email) with children enrolled in Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) programs. They found: - That dads’ depression had a statistically significant negative impact on their closeness to their children and on conflict with their children. - Parental self-efficacy (PSE)—a parent’s confidence in their ability to successfully raise their children—increased dads’ closeness with their children and reduced conflict with their children. The researchers concluded that:. > “HS/EHS services or early childhood services that aim to promote positive parenting practices and develop healthy parent-child relationships among low-income fathers should give attention to strengthening PSE in fathers.” So, if you run or want to start a program for dads with children in Head Start, Early Head Start, or any other setting, then using an evidence-based program like the [24/7 Dad®](https://store.fatherhood.org/24-7-dad-programs/) program of [National Fatherhood Initiative®](https://www.fatherhood.org/) can help the dads you serve develop the parenting and fathering self-efficacy that’s vital to healthy relationships between dads and their children. 24/7 Dad® has been found to [increase the parenting and fathering awareness, knowledge, and self-efficacy](https://www.fatherhood.org/free-resources/topic/evaluations) dads need to be the best dads possible. NFI partners with many HS and EHS programs across the country to run 24/7 Dad® and our other programs and to use our other fatherhood skill-building materials. Take Dads in Action, for example. It’s a program of the Monterey County (CA) Office of Education’s Head Start Program. Dads in Action uses 24/7 Dad® to serve Head Start dads and dads in the larger community. The 24/7 Dad® facilitators appreciate several aspects of the program’s curriculum. As Dads in Action coordinator Alvaro Suarez once told me: > “[The curriculum] definitely provides dads with information developed with fathers’ perspectives in mind. It’s a bridge between fathers and mothers, such as with co-parenting. It lets fathers know about their role in their child’s life and the importance of fathers being present. The curriculum facilitates conversations that are difficult to have. It’s unique in that it opens dialogue with fathers. The thing it does best is it definitely gives fathers a unique voice—the content voices a lot of concerns dads think about but might not say or be comfortable talking about—like co-parenting and domestic violence—by facilitating conversations.” Are you interested in exploring the range of NFI’s evidence- and research-based programs that can help you build dads’ parenting and fathering self-efficacy? Click [here](https://store.fatherhood.org/programs/) to learn more. Are you interested in exploring NFI’s online, on-demand program Fathering in 15™ that dads can access anywhere, anytime, and on any device? Click [here](https://store.fatherhood.org/fathering-in-15-online-subscription/) to learn more. 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[Get The Guide Now!](https://www.fatherhood.org/starting-a-fatherhood-program) ![7-steps-starting-a-fatherhood_program](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/7-steps-starting-a-fatherhood_program.png?width=700&height=700&name=7-steps-starting-a-fatherhood_program.png) [ Previous ](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/have-dads-stepped-up-during-the-pandemic) [ Next ](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/how-to-facilitate-a-fatherhood-program-in-a-virtual-world-part-1) ## Related Articles ### [Limited Blog Series: Supporting My Co-Parent Image created with GPT Image 2. Quick Confidence Builds are brief activities that practitioners can use when working with dads in face-to-face or virtual group-based or one-on-one ... Read More](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/supporting-my-co-parent) ### [Five Leadership Practices That Build Father-Inclusive Organizations Image created with GPT Image 2. Creating a father-inclusive organization doesn't happen through a new but isolated fatherhood program, staff training on how to include fathers, or ... Read More](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/five-leadership-practices-that-build-father-inclusive-organizations) ### [Limited Blog Series: Fathering Stressors Image created with GPT Image 2. Quick Confidence Builds are brief activities that practitioners can use when working with dads in face-to-face or virtual group-based or one-on-one ... 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