Overview

• Researchers at Swansea University reported 107 paternal suicides versus 16 maternal suicides in Wales during the first 1,001 days after birth between 2002 and 2021.
• The study identified higher risk among first-time fathers and those living in more deprived areas.
• The 1001 Critical Days Foundation funded the research and announced a £1 million grant to Home-Start UK to establish Dad Matters nationally.
• Campaigners urged health services to include fathers in specialist perinatal mental health care, noting that paternal suicides are not routinely measured.
• The charity said Wales is currently the only UK nation recording a child's age at the time of paternal suicide and called for standardized data across the UK.