In plain words
Paternal perinatal depression is depression or anxiety in a father or other non-birthing partner. It can begin during pregnancy or in the first year after the baby arrives. Partners may feel tired, irritable, withdrawn, or hopeless. Some feel anxious about money, work, or the baby's health. It is common and often missed, because the focus is usually on the birthing parent. Research has found links between a partner's depression and the mother's mood and the baby's development. Help is available through a provider, a therapist, or a . Partners may be asked about their own mood at a visit, and many clinics now offer screening for them.
The deeper version
Paternal perinatal depression is estimated at roughly 10 percent in the first postnatal year in pooled analyses, with higher rates in the first months and in partners of mothers with depression (Paulson and Bazemore, 2010). Paternal and maternal depression are correlated, and paternal depression is associated with adverse child behavioral and developmental outcomes in several cohorts. Screening tools validated in men include the and the , though cut-offs are less well established for fathers. NICE guideline CG192 (2014) recommends that the mental health of partners be considered in perinatal care, and that services address partners directly.
Where it comes up
- Partners get it too: paternal and partner postpartum depressionPostpartum: Mind
- Partners and lossLoss and Complications
- What a partner does in the first weeksSupport, Home, and Village
- Your relationship during pregnancyPregnancy: Mind and Life
- Postpartum depressionPostpartum: Mind
What mothers here say about paternal perinatal depression
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Sources
- Paulson JF, Bazemore SD — Prenatal and postpartum depression in fathers and its association with maternal depression: a meta-analysis. JAMA 2010
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence — Antenatal and postnatal mental health: clinical management and service guidance, CG192, 2014