Speaker
Presentation in English
MICHELE GIANNOTTI
UNIVERSITY OF TRENTO. ITALY
Michele Giannotti is an Associate Professor at the Department of Human Sciences, Link Campus University (Rome, Italy), and a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in attachment assessment, cognitive-constructivist psychotherapy, and paternal perinatal affective disorders.
He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and Education and collaborates with the Italian National Health Service in the field of child protection. His clinical and research work focuses on parenting and child development, with particular attention to the determinants of sensitive parenting across diverse family structures, fatherhood, coparenting, child maltreatment outcomes, and assessment of attachment across the lifespan. Prof. Giannotti has been awarded Best Early Career Scholar by the International Association for the Study of Attachment (IASA) and the Italian Society of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy (SITCC).
Regularly presenting at national and international conferences, Prof. Giannotti addresses topics such as the transition to parenthood, paternal mental health, at-risk parenting, and attachment in both typical and atypical child development. His extensive publications in peer-reviewed journals are complemented by collaborations with national and international research groups in the fields of parenting and child development. Additionally, he serves as a board member of several scientific associations and sits on the editorial boards of international peer-reviewed journals
The Invisible Caregivers: Multidimensional Perspectives on Paternal Role and Mental Health during early childhood
In recent decades, fatherhood has undergone a profound transformation, reflecting a shift toward gender-egalitarian parenting and a more nuanced understanding of men’s roles during pregnancy and early childhood. As fathers increasingly assume active caregiving responsibilities, a growing body of research highlights their central contribution to family adaptation and children’s development across several domains.
This symposium examines the multidimensional nature of fathering, focusing on paternal health, involvement in childcare, and coparenting dynamics as key determinants of parenting quality. Particular attention is given to the transition to parenthood and its impact on paternal mental health. In this regard, previous research indicates that paternal perinatal psychological distress is often undetected by traditional screening tools and clinical formulations; differently, it manifests through a wide spectrum of symptoms, such as irritability, anger, externalizing and addictive behaviors, somatization, and regulatory problems, which go beyond traditional depressive or anxious expressions.
By integrating empirical findings and clinical perspectives, the symposium explores individual, dyadic, and family-level factors associated with paternal engagement, mental health and sensitive caregiving. It also emphasizes the role of fathers’ active involvement in childcare as a key driver of gender equality and family functioning. Overall, this session underscores that addressing paternal needs could potentially mitigate systemic risks, thereby facilitating more adaptive caregiving environments. The ultimate goal is to advocate for more inclusive, gender-sensitive screening, clinical interventions and family-centered policies that recognize fathers as essential caregivers thereby reducing maternal burden, and ultimately promoting healthy child development.
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