Dads Suffer from Postpartum Depression Too
Studies showed that during the 3- to 6-month postpartum period over 25% of men reported suffering from depression.
| Category | Parenting and Childcare: Fathers |
| Details | It is well established that maternal prenatal and postpartum depression is prevalent and has negative personal, family, and child developmental outcomes. Paternal depression during this period may have similar characteristics. The objective of the study was to establish the rates and variability of paternal prenatal and postpartum depression over time and its association with maternal depression. The study analyzed 43 previously published studies involving 28,000 male and female adults regarding depression, and has concluded that prenatal and postpartum depression was evident in approximately 10% of fathers. During the 3- to 6-month postpartum period, rates of depression were reported at 25.6%. Dads share some of the same triggers for postpartum depression as women, including shock from the major life change, sleep deprivation and financial stress that may come with a new baby. Researchers warn against ignoring the signs of depression in fathers. "There's evidence growing that depression in fathers is negative for children and increases the risk of emotional and behavioral problems," says study author James Paulson of the Eastern Virginia Medical School. In preschool, children who have fathers with depression are found to have more conduct problems and hyperactivity, compared to children whose parents show no symptoms of depression. This trend may be stronger in boys than in girls. In Canada, a pilot study was conducted in 2009 in which 11 men whose partners had postpartum depression were interviewed. The men were asked to describe their experiences, support needs, resources, barriers and preferences for support. A number of fathers reported that, although they recognized that they detected changes in partners' emotional status, they did not initially identify it as PPD. Once their partners were diagnosed with PPD, fathers reported having difficulty identifying and accessing sources of support. When speaking about their personal experiences with PPD, some fathers revealed that they had experienced a range of depressive symptoms, including anxiety, sleep disturbances, fatigue, irratiability, feeling sad or down, changes in appetite, and thoughts of bringing harm to self or baby. Results of this pilot study have been used to support the funding and implementation of a larger-scale CIHR funded study and the intervention test to follow. Recruitment and data collection for a follow-up study is underway. |
| Author | James F. Paulson and Sharnail D. Bazemore |
| Publication Date | May 19, 2010 |
| Source | jama.ama-assn.org |
| Format | |
| Availability | The study describing the analysis is available to subscribers of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The results of the Canadian pilot study are available from the Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick. |
