Depressive Symptoms in Expecting Fathers: Is Paternal Perinatal Depression a Valid Concept? A Systematic Review of Evidence

Abstract

Background. Since the identification of Couvade syndrome in the late 1950s, little attention has been dedicated to the issue of depression in expecting fathers. Objective. To quantify the extent of depression in expecting fathers and find out if they match their pregnant partners’ depression. Methods. We conducted a PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov search using paternal depression and all its variants as terms. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement to include eligible studies. Results. We identified a grand total of 1443 articles, of which 204 were eligible. The total number of fathers/expecting fathers involved was 849,913. Longitudinal studies represented more than half of the included studies; more than three-quarters of the studies used the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The average occurrence of paternal depression was around 5%, which confers the entity some clinical dignity. Depression tends to occur more in expecting women and new mothers than in expecting partners or new fathers, while the co-occurrence in the same couple is quite low. Limitations. The methodological heterogeneity of the included studies prevents us from meta-analyzing the obtained data. The validity of the instruments used is another issue. Conclusions. Paternal depression is distinct from maternal depression and occurs at lower rates (about half). The very existence of a paternal depression clinical entity is beyond any doubt. Future research should address methodological heterogeneity.

Depressive Symptoms during Pregnancy: Prevalence and Correlates with Affective Temperaments and Psychosocial Factors

“…Notably, with regard to the partner, there were statistically significant differences between the two groups (99.1% vs. 93.8%). This result is consistent with findings suggesting that a stable couple relationship is a protective factor from depression [ 35 , 36 ]. However, we should note that multiple support, which was preponderant in the no or minimal depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≤4) received all other support cases and this has determined the higher prevalence of support from relatives/friends in the more disadvantaged PHQ-9 >4 group.…”

A Psychometric Study of the Perinatal Assessment of Maternal Affectivity (PAMA) for the Screening of Perinatal Affective Disorders in Mothers

“…When considering mean scores across all items, the results showed that PAMA scores were higher than PAPA scores; this result is in line with most of the international literature, emphasizing that depressive symptomatology tends to occur more frequently and more severely in mothers compared with fathers during both the prenatal and the postnatal period [ 4 , 16 , 75 ]. However, there is enough evidence from the literature to legitimate paternal perinatal depression as a clinical entity, therefore deserving special attention regarding its identification and treatment [ 76 ]. When considering individual items, mothers scored higher than fathers in anxiety, depression and anger items with a small effect size, and in somatization and sleep/eating/sexual desire items with a medium effect size.…”

Description of the Psychological Condition of Pregnant Women's Husbands in the Umban Sari Community Health Center Working Area

“…Kehamilan seorang wanita dapat mempengaruhi kesehatan psikologis dan fisik suaminya (Mazza et al, 2022). Suami mengalami tekanan psikologis pada periode kehamilan, dengan hasil penelitian melaporkan diagnosis kesehatan mental dan gejala menunjukkan bahwa sekitar 5-10% suami mengalami depresi antenatal dan 5-15% mengalami kecemasan antenatal (Darwin et al, 2017).…”

“…Gejala depresi suami antenatal yang meningkat dikaitkan dengan kehamilan dengan prevalensi (1,9%), (4,3%) dikaitkan dengan stress yang dirasakan selama kehamilan pasangan mereka dan (2-3%) suami dikaitkan dengan kecemasan yang dirasakan dalam kehamilan (Underwood et al, 2017). Suami yang mengalami kecemasan mengatakan mengalami perasaan yang tidak menentu karena memikirkan risiko kehamilan istri (Mazza et al, 2022). Suami yang mengalami kecemasan mengatakan mengalami kesulitan tidur karena cemas, dengan presentase selalu (32%), sering (22%), kadang-kadang (30%) dan tidak pernah (16%) (Nugraha, 2020).…”