Dr Lauren M Francis

📢 Last chance to feature at the AFRS 2026!

Final call for abstracts for posters to be included in our in-person poster presentation session that will take place on Day 1 of the symposium.

🔔 Submissions close 11:59pm AEDT Sun 15 Feb

Learn more: www.ausfatherhoodresearch.org/afrs-2026#po...

Father Trait Anger and Exposure to Infant Cry: Effects on Emotion, Appraisals of Infants, and Cognitive Performance Objective Trait anger can impact emotional states, appraisals of others, and cognition. The study aim was to assess in fathers whether these associations are exacerbated by infant crying. Method T...

📢 Just published: New research investigating how dads respond when a baby cries. Open access 🔗: doi.org/10.1111/jopy... Key findings and implications in the below🧵 1/6

Thanks to the fantastic lead author Georgia Zoumboulis and team: Kayla Mansour, Christopher Greenwood, Craig Olsson, @gessicamisuraca.bsky.social, @jacmac.bsky.social. @deakinuniversity.bsky.social @ausfatherhood.bsky.social 4/4

The takeaway? Supporting parents to be emotionally warm and empathetic with their sons will help them emotionally as adults. Particularly, as shame is common in men with depression doi.org/10.1177/0020.... 3/4

Specifically, men who felt shame as adults were more likely to report that their mothers and fathers were affectionless and controlling or that their fathers were neglectful of them. 2/4

New research from the MAPP Study shows that men who had poor relationships with their parents were more likely to experience shame as adults doi.org/10.1007/s442... 🧵1/4

Separated men are nearly 5 times more likely to take their lives than married men Some men struggle to cope with the stress of a relationship breakdown.

"Most strikingly, we found separated men under 35 years of age had nearly nine times greater odds of suicide than married men of the same age. The short-term period after relationship breakdown therefore appears particularly risky for men’s mental health"

theconversation.com/separated-me...

Thanks to the excellent lead author @gessicamisuraca.bsky.social‬ and team: Kayla Mansour, ‬Christopher Greenwood, Craig A Olsson, @jacmac.bsky.social‬. @deakinuniversity.bsky.social‬ @ausfatherhood.bsky.social‬ 6/6

The takeaway? Building mastery and purpose could be helpful in men’s mental health interventions, especially for those struggling with shame. 5/6

However, these protective effects didn’t hold over time, suggesting that while wellbeing helps in the moment, long-term strategies are needed to reduce shame’s lasting impact. 4/6

But here’s the twist: Men with better wellbeing i.e., a stronger sense of control over their lives (mastery) and a clear sense of direction (purpose), were less affected by shame at the time. 3/6

Using data from 448 men in the MAPP Study, we found that shame was linked to higher depressive symptoms, at the time and one year later. 2/6

Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study research shows that shame is a strong predictor of depression in men, but psychological wellbeing might offer protection! doi.org/10.1177/0020... 🧵1/6

Another promising insight from this new study is that the cognitive processes linked to dads’ ability to attend to their infants' needs (e.g., impulse control) do not seem to be impacted by either trait anger or exposure to infant cry! 6/6

In our study, we only investigated dads, but it is important to help prepare all parents to manage their responses to infant distress. 5/6

Our prior research shows that dads who score high on trait anger feel just as much affection and pride for their babies as other dads, but can struggle with patience and tolerance (doi.org/10.3389/fpsy...) and may need additional support to prepare them for parenting. 4/6

We then looked closely at dads who scored high on a personality trait linked to more frequent and intense feelings of anger (trait anger). These dads felt angry and thought of the baby as more negative, regardless of whether they heard the crying or babbling infant. 3/6

We exposed dads to the sound of an infant crying for 10 minutes! Compared to dads who heard pink noise and dads who heard a happy babbling baby (control groups), dads who heard the crying were more angry and judged the infant to be more negative. 2/6

Father Trait Anger and Exposure to Infant Cry: Effects on Emotion, Appraisals of Infants, and Cognitive Performance Objective Trait anger can impact emotional states, appraisals of others, and cognition. The study aim was to assess in fathers whether these associations are exacerbated by infant crying. Method T...

📢 Just published: New research investigating how dads respond when a baby cries. Open access 🔗: doi.org/10.1111/jopy... Key findings and implications in the below🧵 1/6

A novel ecological momentary assessment app for the investigation of daily cognitive functioning in breast cancer survivors: a feasibility study - Supportive Care in Cancer Purpose Breast cancer survivors often experience cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), such as problems with memory and attention. However, typical neuropsychological test batteries are unable t...

My first study from my PhD has been published! This paper investigates the feasibility, usability and validity of a mobile cognitive momentary assessment task in breast cancer survivors and a non-cancer control group. Read the paper below 👇
doi.org/10.1007/s005...

Predicting Timing of Parenthood We aimed to predict if and when young adults would become parents. Using data from a multi-decade, longitudinal study, we measured 19 factors related to their interpersonal connections and characteris...

www.growkudos.com/publications...

Thrilled to have been awarded a Deakin Science and Society Network grant for 2025! Read about our project "The Mental Health Treatment Gap: Identifying Targets for Gender-Informed Solutions" and the other fantastic awardees here: scienceandsocietynetwork.deakin.edu.au/grants/
@deakinssn.bsky.social

#Fatherhood researchers, services and practitioners, reminder to SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT to present at the Australian Fatherhood Research Symposium 2025. Only one week to go!

Submissions close 16 Dec. mappresearch.org/australian-f...
Melbourne & online, 1st & 2nd of May 2025
hashtag#AFRS2025

Frontiers | Pre-pandemic Predictors of Loneliness in Adult Men During COVID-19 Loneliness is a major public health issue, with its prevalence rising during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and mandated “social distancing” practices. A 2020 g...

"Findings suggest that men's loneliness can be detected prospectively and under varying levels of social restriction, presenting possible targets for prevention efforts for those most vulnerable":
doi.org/10.3389/fpsy...

Fathers & Peer Support YouTube video by Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium

Did you know that some dads don't get to spend much time with friends? And that this can affect their mental health?

Watch this short video from the AFRC to find out more about the importance of peer support for fathers.
youtu.be/4DXUlIsENpE

#fatherhood #PMHWeek2024

PMHWeek 2024 Launch. Lived experience panel. Frank Alexopoulos shares his story of struggling with depression and anxiety after his children were born. On behalf of the Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium (AFRC).

PMHWeek 2024 Launch. Lived experience panel. Frank Alexopoulos shares his story of struggling with depression and anxiety after his children were born. On behalf of the Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium (AFRC).

PMHWeek 2024 Launch. Lived experience panel participants including Frank Alexopoulos, on behalf of the Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium (AFRC).

The AFRC is sponsor of Day 7 (Fathers & Peer Support) of Perinatal Mental Health Week, 17 – 24 November.

Thank you to Frank Alexopoulos for sharing his story of struggling with depression and anxiety after his children were born, on the lived experience panel, at the PMHWeek launch in Canberra.

Today is International Men’s Day. It is also men’s health awareness month. One of the best things you can do to celebrate is to check in with the men in your lives. Here are some tips for having deeper conversations courtesy of #Movember. #menshealth

Today is International Men's Day and the theme is "Positive Male Role Models".
Few male roles are as important as being a positive and involved father. Share the AFRC's Fatherhood Bulletin with a dad you know, to find stories from fathers and the latest research.
mappresearch.org/fatherhood-c...

Can I please be added? thanks!

Can I please be added? thanks!