Paternal Postpartum Depression: What Health Care Providers Should Know

Musser, Anna K.; Ahmed, Azza H.; Foli, Karen J.; Coddington, Jennifer

doi:10.1016/j.pedhc.2012.10.001

Cited by 104 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Others have developed indicated approaches to managing women’s depression in pregnancy, e.g., with Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy-Perinatal Depression [38, 39] which is promising; our universal prevention approach in the form of childbirth education may reach a broader audience among the general public, reaching women at-risk for PPD who do not self-identify in that way. MIL also includes fathers/partners, which may produce benefit for preventing fathers’ postpartum depression (something not assessed in the current study) but a growing concern [40, 41]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits of preparing for childbirth with mindfulness training: a randomized controlled trial with active comparison

Duncan

Cohn

Chao

et al. 2017

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

163

142

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BackgroundChildbirth fear is linked with lower labor pain tolerance and worse postpartum adjustment. Empirically validated childbirth preparation options are lacking for pregnant women facing this problem. Mindfulness approaches, now widely disseminated, can alleviate symptoms of both chronic and acute pain and improve psychological adjustment, suggesting potential benefit when applied to childbirth education.MethodsThis study, the Prenatal Education About Reducing Labor Stress (PEARLS) study, is a randomized controlled trial (RCT; n = 30) of a short, time-intensive, 2.5-day mindfulness-based childbirth preparation course offered as a weekend workshop, the Mind in Labor (MIL): Working with Pain in Childbirth, based on Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) education. First-time mothers in the late 3rd trimester of pregnancy were randomized to attend either the MIL course or a standard childbirth preparation course with no mind-body focus. Participants completed self-report assessments pre-intervention, post-intervention, and post-birth, and medical record data were collected.ResultsIn a demographically diverse sample, this small RCT demonstrated mindfulness-based childbirth education improved women’s childbirth-related appraisals and psychological functioning in comparison to standard childbirth education. MIL program participants showed greater childbirth self-efficacy and mindful body awareness (but no changes in dispositional mindfulness), lower post-course depression symptoms that were maintained through postpartum follow-up, and a trend toward a lower rate of opioid analgesia use in labor. They did not, however, retrospectively report lower perceived labor pain or use epidural less frequently than controls.ConclusionsThis study suggests mindfulness training carefully tailored to address fear and pain of childbirth may lead to important maternal mental health benefits, including improvements in childbirth-related appraisals and the prevention of postpartum depression symptoms. There is also some indication that MIL participants may use mindfulness coping in lieu of systemic opioid pain medication. A large-scale RCT that captures real-time pain perceptions during labor and length of labor is warranted to provide a more definitive test of these effects.Trial registrationThe ClinicalTrials.gov identifier for the PEARLS study is: NCT02327559. The study was retrospectively registered on June 23, 2014.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits of preparing for childbirth with mindfulness training: a randomized controlled trial with active comparison

Duncan

Cohn

Chao

et al. 2017

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

163

142

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Currently, there are no screening tools sufficiently accredited to evaluate perinatal affective disorders in males [80]. The psychodiagnostic evaluation is mostly performed through self-report questionnaires, although questionnaires are rarely supplemented by individual or couple clinical interviews.…”

Section: Screening Of Paternal Affective Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, professionals in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as pediatrics should be prepared to consider not only physical health of both parents, but also mental issues, and to be aware of the early symptoms of an affective disorder. Furthermore, they should be trained to adequately inform parents about the manifestations and characteristics of perinatal mood disorders, rather than addressing only the mother's mental status [80,92]. Fathers, for example, are often aware of the existence of maternal perinatal depression, but they are usually uninformed about paternal mood disorders; thus, healthcare professionals should give correct information about risk factors and clinical features of depression.…”

Section: Prevention Of Paternal Perinatal Affective Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

When Fathers Begin to Falter: A Comprehensive Review on Paternal Perinatal Depression

Bruno

Celebre

Mento

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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C.M.); zoccali@unime.it (R.A.Z.); mmuscatello@unime.it (M.R.A.M.)Abstract: The transition to parenthood is considered to be a major life transition that can increase the vulnerability to parental depressive disorders, including paternal perinatal depression (PPND).Although it is known that many fathers experience anxiety and depression during the perinatal period, PPND is a recent diagnostic entity and there are not enough published studies on it. Accordingly, its prevalence and epidemiology are still not well defined, although the majority of studies agree that PPND is less frequent than maternal perinatal depression and postpartum depression. Nevertheless, PPND is different from maternal perinatal mental health disorders, usually, fathers have less severe symptoms, and mood alterations are often in comorbidity with other affective disorders. Despite the absence of DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and the fluctuation of prevalence rates, clinical symptoms have been defined. The main symptoms are mood alterations and anxiety, followed by behavioral disturbances and concerns about the progress of pregnancy and the child's health. Moreover, PPND negatively impacts on family functioning, on couples' relationships, and on family members' well-being. The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the current understandings on PPND and the potential screening, prevention, and treatment options.

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“…PPD is distinguished from major depression by onset during the period following the birth of a child. Although the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) restricts PPD diagnoses to within four weeks of the child’s birth, most studies regard depression occurring during the first year following delivery as PPD (Musser et al, in press; O’Hara, 2009) …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Postnatal depression in Mexican American fathers: Demographic, cultural, and familial predictors

Roubinov

Luecken

Crnic

et al. 2014

Journal of Affective Disorders

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Background Although maternal postpartum depression (PPD) is a well-documented phenomenon that has been the focus of a large body of literature, much less is known about the prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms among fathers following the birth of a child. Particularly scarce is research with Mexican American men, an understudied population at high risk given limited socioeconomic resources and elevated rates of maternal PPD. Methods The current study used descriptive and path analyses to examine the prevalence and predictors of PPD in 92 Mexican American fathers (M age = 31.3 years). Results At both 15 and 21 postpartum week assessments, 9% of fathers met criteria for PPD. Path analyses suggested that unemployment status, fewer biological children, poor marital relationship quality, and lower orientation to Anglo culture predicted higher 15 week paternal PPD symptoms, which was associated with greater paternal depressive symptoms at 21 weeks. Predictive paths from symptoms of maternal to paternal PPD were not significant. Limitations Lack of generalizability to other ethnic groups, sampling of primarily resident fathers, and the absence of historical assessments of depression are limitations of the current study. Conclusions Findings support the importance of PPD screenings among Mexican American fathers and suggest certain demographic, familial, and cultural factors may render men particularly vulnerable for maladjustment during the early infancy period.

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Paternal Postpartum Depression: What Health Care Providers Should Know

Cited by 104 publications

References 21 publications

Benefits of preparing for childbirth with mindfulness training: a randomized controlled trial with active comparison

Benefits of preparing for childbirth with mindfulness training: a randomized controlled trial with active comparison

When Fathers Begin to Falter: A Comprehensive Review on Paternal Perinatal Depression

Postnatal depression in Mexican American fathers: Demographic, cultural, and familial predictors

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