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Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Jul 21

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

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Jul 21

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

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Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Jul 21

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

Separated men are nearly 5 times more likely to take their lives than married men

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Jul 21

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

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Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Jul 18

"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...

Some men struggle to cope with the stress of a relationship breakdown.

theconversation.com

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Jul 17

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

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Jul 17

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

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Jul 17

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

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Jul 17

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

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Jul 17

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

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Jul 17

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

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · May 26

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

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Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · May 26

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

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Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · May 26

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

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · May 26

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

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · May 26

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

Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · May 26

📢 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

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...

A novel ecological momentary assessment app for the investigation of daily cognitive functioning in breast cancer survivors: a feasibility study - Supportive Care in Cancer

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Reposted by Dr Lauren M Francis

Dr Annalee L Cobden @annaleecobden.bsky.social · Apr 30

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...

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...

www.growkudos.com/publications...

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Reposted by Dr Lauren M Francis

A/Prof Jacqui Macdonald @jacmac.bsky.social · Feb 20

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

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Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Dec 12

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

| Deakin Science and Society Network

The Deakin Science and Society Network supports science-literate social research and socially-engaged science that makes an impact. It aspires to be an engine for interdisciplinary collaboration at Deakin.

scienceandsocietynetwork.deakin.edu.au

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Reposted by Dr Lauren M Francis

Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium @ausfatherhood.bsky.social · Dec 10

#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

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Dr Lauren M Francis @laurenmfrancis.bsky.social · Nov 28

"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...

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...