Maternal depression and paternity leave-taking in Italy: the mediating role of coparenting and parenting stress

The transition to parenthood represents a vulnerable period for maternal mental health. Although current literature recognizes the benefit of paternity leave-taking on maternal mental health during the post-partum and family well-being, empirical evidence on its impact remains limited. The present study aimed to evaluate the association of fathers' paternal leave on maternal mental health outcomes, as mediated by co-parenting and parenting stress. A sample of 346 Italian mothers (Mage = 34.25; SD = 4.45) of infants aged 0–12 months (Childs' age in days M = 144.97; SD = 103.05) completed an online survey assessing fathers' paternity leave uptake, maternal depressive symptoms, parenting stress, and coparenting quality. Results showed that women whose partners took paternity leave reported significantly lower depressive symptoms, lower parenting stress, and higher coparenting quality than those whose partners did not. However, paternity leave-taking was not directly associated with depressive symptoms after accounting for parenting stress and coparenting. Instead, significant indirect effects emerged: paternity leave-taking was associated with higher coparenting quality and lower parenting stress, which in turn were associated with fewer maternal depressive symptoms. Taken together, these findings highlight the positive role of fathers' paternal leave on maternal depressive symptoms during the postpartum period, particularly through increased co-parenting. Policies promoting fathers' leave uptake may therefore represent an important lever for strengthening family well-being during the transition to parenthood.