Men who were stressed or in poor health show high depression symptoms when their partners become pregnant and nine months after the birth of their child, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Jama Psychiatry.
Researchers from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, studied the symptoms of prenatal depression (before birth) and the symptoms of depression postnatal (after birth) in 3,523 men who were surveyed while their partner was in the third trimester of pregnancy and nine months after the birth of their child. The men had an average age of 33 at the prenatal interview.
Pregnancy disrupts stressed men
The authors report that 2.3% of fathers were affected by high prenatal depression during the pregnancy of their partner, and 4.3% of future dads declared depression nine months after the birth of the child.
The study found that symptoms of depression in men during pregnancy were associated with stress perceived and poor health. While high depression symptoms in fathers after childbirth were associated with perceived stress during pregnancy and lack of relationship with mother.
“It is relatively recent that the influence of fathers on children has been recognized as central to psychosocial and cognitive development. Since paternal depression can have direct or indirect effects on children, it is important to recognize and treat symptoms early. The first step is probably to make fathers aware of the increased risks, ”concludes Lisa Underwood, from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, author of the study.
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