'Paternal Postnatal Depression (PPND): Prevalence and Associated Factors'

Background: Postnatal depression (PND) has been perceived as a product of biological causes, typically associated with women. Consequently, most of the research to date has focused on mothers’ perspective. However,... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Postnatal depression (PND) has been perceived as a product of biological causes, typically associated with women. Consequently, most of the research to date has focused on mothers’ perspective. However, researchers now believe that PND is also a product of psychosocial causes. It can therefore be presumed that such causes would also impact on the mental health of fathers in the postnatal period.

Aim and objectives:
The aim was to examine the prevalence of PPND and to examine associations with a range of demographic and clinical factors.

Methods:
A cross-sectional, correlational design was used. A sample of fathers (n=100) was recruited. To be eligible to participate, fathers had to be 18 years or older and have a child less than 12 months old. The study was conducted in the South of Ireland. Data was collected using a questionnaire that contained two sections. The first section consisted of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The second section consisted of socio-demographic and clinical questions.


Analysis and Results:
Data were analysed using Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 20.0. The prevalence of PPND in the study was 12%. Several risk factors were identified as statistically significant. The factors found to increase the risk of PPND in the study included; a lower level of education, having an infant with sleep problems, having a pre-term or overdue infant, having a history of depression, lack of support from a partner, living in rented accommodation, poor economic circumstances, not having paternity leave and not being married.

Recommendations:
With a prevalence of 12% PPND is presently underscreened, underdiagnosed and undertreated. The majority of the research conducted so far has been cross-sectional. Thus, there is limited understanding of the trajectory of PPND over the postpartum year. Research using multiple sampling points starting in the antenatal period is needed.