Paternal Depressive Symptoms and Marital Quality: A Meta‐Analysis of Cross‐Sectional Studies

Paternal depression is typically negatively associated with marital quality; however, the magnitude of the relationship varies across studies. The objectives of this study were to clarify the strength of the association and explore whether study-specific factors moderate the strength of the relationship. The present meta-analysis consisted of 42 studies that included a quantitative comparison between concurrent paternal depressive symptoms and marital quality. Overall, the relationship between paternal depressive symptoms and father ratings of marital quality and mother ratings of marital quality were significant. None of the explored moderators were significant. The findings of this study suggested that clinicians should be mindful of the link between paternal depression and marital quality. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.