1. Depressive symptoms in men immediately after birth.
- Author
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Abdollahi F, Lye MS, Yazdani Cherati J, and Zarghami M
- Subjects
- Aged, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Fathers, Female, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Male, Mothers, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Risk Factors, Surveys and Questionnaires, Depression diagnosis, Depression epidemiology, Depression, Postpartum diagnosis, Depression, Postpartum epidemiology
- Abstract
Objective: Depression is the second leading cause of morbidity worldwide. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of paternal postpartum depressive symptoms (PPD)., Methods: In a cross-sectional study, via a stratified random and convenience sampling method 591 couples who were referred to Mazandaran primary health centers between 2 and 8 weeks postpartum were recruited from March to October 2017. Couples were screened for depressive symptoms using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Fathers provided information on socio-demographic characteristics, life events, neonatal stressor, perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), and general health status using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) as well. Data was analyzed using multiple logistic regression., Results: Overall, 93 fathers (15.7%) and 188 mothers (31.8%) reported depressive symptoms above the cut-off EPDS score of 12. In the multiple logistic regression model, older age, maternal depressive symptoms, higher GHQ-12 scores and increased recent life events were related to paternal PPD. A significant inverse association was found between number of children and paternal PPD., Conclusion: Depressive symptoms especially in first-time fathers following the birth of a child are not uncommon. Creating opportunities for men to access special health care services, parental education to help adapting to parenthood, screening programs, and psychiatric/psychosocial interventions to decrease suffering of depression for both depressed parents are recommended., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)
- Published
- 2021
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