Paternal Perinatal Depression: A Narrative Review

Abstract

The perinatal period, which covers the time when a man’s partner becomes pregnant through to the first year after birth can be a time of great excitement, happiness, and joy. However, it can also be a time of great disruption and change. Despite the positive and protective long-term effect that fatherhood has on men’s health, a significant proportion of fathers’ experience depressive symptoms during the perinatal period. This paper aims to review studies that assessed symptoms of depression in fathers during the perinatal period and to describe the prevalence estimates, identify the risk factors and impact of depression, and establish if there are interventions that effectively reduce depression among fathers. A systematic search of relevant electronic databases including Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection were searched using keywords related to paternal perinatal depression. Prevalence estimates of paternal perinatal depression varied widely between studies, ranging from 1 to 46%. Several sociodemographic variables that contribute to depression in fathers in the perinatal period were reported and these include paternal age, lower education levels, parity, an unplanned pregnancy, and maternal depression. Paternal perinatal depression is associated with morbidity within the father’s family, including depression in his partner, maladjustment to parenthood and future psychological problems in his children. In conclusion, evidence from this review adds further support for the need to review how we plan, provide and resource our health services, to recognize the influence that pregnancy, birth, and fatherhood in the perinatal period can have on men’s mental health.

Psychological Challenges of Transition to Parenthood in First-time Parents

“…Depression, anxiety, and stress after childbirth can be dangerous to a child's biopsychological health (Epifanio, Genna, De Luca, Roccella & La Grutta, 2015;Pinquart & Teubert, 2010). Philpott, Savage, Leahy-Warren & FitzGearld (2020) suggested that depression is prevalent in the perinatal period in couples. Factors, such as the father's age, lower education, unplanned pregnancy, and maternal depression impact the father's depression (Philpott et al, 2020).…”

Screening for Early Signs of Paternal Perinatal Affective Disorder in Expectant Fathers: A Cluster Analysis Approach

“…Hence, based on an integrative and gender-based perspective, the present study was based on three aims: (1) to investigate the mental health of expectant fathers based on their levels of depression, anxiety, addiction, anger attacks/hostility, and somatization by identifying psychological profiles; (2) to analyze the association between the emergent psychological profiles and the individual variable of perceived stress; and (3) to examine the association between these profiles and the couple's dimension of marital adjustment.…”

“…Although being a father for most men is a joyful and fulfilling journey [ 1 ], the transition to parenthood, or the arrival of an additional child, can also be perceived as overwhelming and demanding [ 2 ]. Indeed, it has been widely recognized that adjustment to fatherhood may negatively affect the men’s mental health, increasing psychological distress, depression, and anxiety from the prenatal period [ 3 , 4 ].…”

“…In the last decades, an ever-growing number of studies have addressed the impact of transition to parenthood on fathers’ mental health [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]; however, evidence to propose an appropriate gender-based screening for fathers is lacking [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. In this regard, Walsh, Davis, and Garfield [ 9 ] highlighted the urgency of increased attention to screening for Paternal Perinatal Depression (PPND), stating that it is inappropriate to consider the identification, prevention, and treatment interventions of PPND as optional.…”

“…Several studies identified significant associations between PPND and some individual variables such as high levels of perceived stress [ 16 , 17 ], multiparity [ 2 , 18 , 19 ], having a previous history of psychiatric disorders [ 20 ], and experiencing stressful life events (e.g., job loss, divorce, mourning) [ 21 , 22 ]. Other studies have highlighted the positive correlation between PPND and risk of perinatal depression in their partners [ 23 , 24 ] and the negative association between PPND and marital adjustment [ 11 , 25 , 26 ].…”