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Some Fathers Experience Prenatal, Postpartum Depression

About 10% of fathers experience prenatal or postpartum depression, with rates being highest in the 3 to 6 month postpartum period, according to an analysis of previous research appearing in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

James F. Paulson, PhD, of the Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, presented the findings of the study at a media briefing on mental health.

The authors conducted a meta-analysis to determine estimates and variability in rates of paternal prenatal and postpartum depression and its association with maternal depression. The authors included studies that documented depression in fathers between the first trimester and the first postpartum year, and identified 43 studies involving 28,004 participants for inclusion in the analysis.

Among the findings of the researchers:

· The overall estimate of paternal depression was 10.4% (estimated 12-month prevalence of depression among men in the general population is 4.8%).

· There was considerable variability between different time periods, with the 3- to 6-month postpartum period showing the highest rate (25.6%) and the first 3 postpartum months showing the lowest rate (7.7%).

· Differences were observed across study locations, with higher rates of prenatal and postpartum depression reported in the United States (14.1% vs. 8.2% internationally).

· There is a moderate correlation between depression in fathers and mothers.

“Future research in this area should focus on parents together to examine the onset and joint course of depression in new parents. This may increase our capacity for early identification of parental depression, add leverage for prevention and treatment, and increase the understanding of how parental depression conveys risk to infants and young children,” the authors wrote.

— Source: American Medical Association