Background and Aims: Knowledge of carrying a fetus with a prenatal diagnosed anomaly may cause acute psychological stress to the parents. Most studies focus on maternal stress, yet fathers are often present at the ultrasound examinations and birth, and therefore may be affected, similarly, to the expectant mother. However, to date no existing studies have examined how detection of a fetal anomaly emotionally affects the expectant fathers throughout the pregnancy. Our aim was to longitudinally examine general health perceptions, social dysfunction and psychological distress in a subgroup of men where fetal anomaly was detected during pregnancy. Methods and Results: This study is part of the SOFUS study, a prospective, longitudinal, observational study. Participants were recruited when referred for an ultrasound examination conducted by a specialist in fetal medicine at Oslo University Hospital on suspicion of fetal malformation (study group). We examined differences between the men in the study group (N = 32) and a comparison group (N = 83) on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Impact of Event Scale (IES) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EDPS) across four time points in pregnancy. Results from repeated measured ANOVA suggests that depression decreased over time among men in both groups (η 2 = 0.15, p < 0.001). This effect was stronger in the study group, and differed from the comparison group (η 2 = 0.08, p < 0.001). There was also a main effect of time on IES scores, which decreased over time for both men in the study group and in the comparison group (η 2 = 0.32, p < 0.001). That is, men in the study group were higher on IES initially, but this effect decreased more in the study group than in the comparison group. Men in the study group and comparison group did not differ on perceived general health (GHQ: p = 0.864). Conclusion: Results suggests that detection of a fetal anomaly has implications for paternal mental health during pregnancy. Expectant fathers scored higher on EPDS and IES than the comparison group in the acute phase after detection of fetal anomaly, thus there is impetus to provide psychological support for fathers, as well as mothers, at this difficult time.

Introduction:The detection of a fetal anomaly during routine obstetric ultrasound is a potentially traumatic experience. The aim of this study is to examine longitudinally the impact of diagnosis of fetal anomaly on symptoms of depression and traumatic stress among mothers and fathers, and to examine how variations in psychological adjustment relate to diagnostic severity and prognostic ambiguity. Material and methods:In this prospective observational study conducted at a tertiary perinatal referral center, 81 mothers and 69 fathers with ultrasound findings of fetal anomaly completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Impact of Events Scale (IES) at four time points in pregnancy (T1-T4) and 6 weeks after birth (T5).We compared this with depression and traumatic stress in a sample of non-affected parents (n = 110 mothers, 98 fathers).Results: Linear mixed effects models indicated that parents who received a diagnosis of fetal anomaly experienced higher levels of depression and traumatic stress over time, compared with non-affected parents. Depression: mean difference mothers = 4.46 ± 0.47, fathers = 2.80 ± 0.42. Traumatic stress: mean difference mothers = 20.04 ± 2.13, fathers = 12.66 ± 1.74. Parents with a more severe diagnosis experienced elevated symptoms compared with parents with a less severe diagnosis.Among mothers, prognostic ambiguity and changes in the anticipated diagnosis after birth were also associated with increased distress, regardless of whether the change was for the better or worse. Conclusions: Diagnosis of fetal anomaly increases risk of depression and traumaticstress in expectant mothers and fathers, both acutely and over time.

Objective Knowledge regarding the long-term psychological adjustment of parents to children with prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformation is scarce. The aim of this study is to examine traumatic stress trajectories, resilience, and relationship satisfaction among parents to children with prenatal diagnosis of a congenital malformation, and to compare this to a sample of non-affected parents. Methods A prospective longitudinal cohort study was conducted at a tertiary perinatal referral center. Ninety-three mothers and 80 fathers who received a diagnosis of fetal anomaly during obstetric ultrasound examination (study group), and 110 mothers and 98 fathers with normal ultrasound findings (comparison group), reported their traumatic stress at four timepoints during pregnancy (T1–T4), 6 weeks after birth (T5), and 10–12 years after birth (T6). Resilience and relationship satisfaction was reported at 10–12 years after birth. Results Parents to children with a congenital malformation experienced significantly elevated traumatic stress levels over time, compared with parents of children without congenital malformation. The difference between groups was largest acutely after diagnosis and remained significant 10–12 years after the birth of the child. Resilience and relationship satisfaction levels were similar in both groups. Conclusions Despite experiencing high levels of traumatic stress over time, parents to children with a congenital malformation reported resilience and relationship satisfaction at similar levels to non-affected parents. This suggests that despite ongoing long-term distress, parents are still able to maintain positive psychological coping resources.

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