Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-p566r Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T05:58:41.726Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Correlates of Postnatal Depression in Mothers and Fathers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

M. E. G. Areias
Affiliation:
Institute de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Largo Professor Abel Salazar 2, 4000 Porto, Portugal
R. Kumar*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
H. Barros
Affiliation:
Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Serviço de Higiene e Epidemiologia, Av. Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4300 Porto, Portugal
E. Figueiredo
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciênncias Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Largo Professor Abel Salazar 2, 4000 Porto, Portugal
*
Professor R. Kumar, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF

Abstract

Background

We compare and contrast some correlates of paternal and maternal depression after the live birth of a first child, as part of a longitudinal study.

Method

Fifty-four first-time mothers attending obstetric services in Oporto, Portugal, and 42 of their husbands or partners participated in a longitudinal study of their mental health. All subjects were given a semi-structured clinical interview (SADS) at six months antenatally and at 12 months postnatally and sub-samples were interviewed at three months postnatally. At all these times all the mothers and fathers also completed a translated version of a self-rating scale for depression, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and a series of other questionnaires and interviews to measure different psychosocial variables. Profiles of risk factors associated with depression in the first postnatal year were analysed by means of logistic regressions.

Results

In the mothers, aside from a history of depression, the only other powerful predictor of postnatal depression was the mean objective negative impact score of life events. ‘Postnatal’ depression in fathers was associated with a history of depression in themselves and with the presence of depression in their wives or partners during pregnancy and soon after delivery.

Conclusion

Prevention and early treatment of depression in fathers may benefit not only themselves but also their spouses and their children.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Areias, M. E. G., Kumar, R., Barros, H., et al (1996a) Comparative incidence of depression in women and men, during pregnancy and after childbirth: Validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in Portuguese mothers. British Journal of Psychiatry, 169, 3035.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Appleby, L., Gregoire, A., Platz, C., et al (1994) Screening women for high risk of postnatal depression. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 38, 539545.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chalmers, B. (1983) Psychosocial factors and obstetric complications. Psychological Medicine, 13, 333339.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cox, J. L., Holden, J. M. & Sagovsky, R. (1987) Detection of postnatal depression: Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 782786.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cox, J. L., Murray, D. & Chapman, G. (1993) A controlled study of the onset, duration and prevalence of postnatal depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 2731.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eysenck, H. & Eysenck, S. G. B. (1964) Manual of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. London: University of London Press.Google Scholar
Flaherty, J., Gaviria, F. M. & Pathak, D. S. (1981) The measurement of social support: The social support network inventory. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 24, 521529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graffar, M. (1956) Une Méthode de classification social d'échantillon de la population. Courier, 6, 455.Google Scholar
Harris, B. (1993) A hormonal component to postnatal depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 403405.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harvey, I. & McGrath, G. (1988) Psychiatric morbidity in spouses of women admitted to a mother and baby unit. British Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 506510.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hay, D. & Kumar, R. (1995) Interpreting the effects of mothers' postnatal depression on children's intelligence: a critique and reanalysis. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 25, 165181.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jermain, D. M. (1990) Psychopharmacologic approach to postpartum depression. Journal of Women's Health, 1, 4752.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lovestone, S. & Kumar, R. (1993) Postnatal psychiatric illness: The impact on partners. British Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 210216.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kumar, R. (1994) Postnatal mental illness: a transcultural perspective. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 29, 250264.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O'Hara, M. W. (1986) Social support, life events, and depression during pregnancy and the puerperium. Archives of General Psychiatry, 43, 569573.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O'Hara, M. W., Rehm, L. P. & Campbell, S. B. (1982) Predicting depressive symptomatology: cognitive behavioural models and postpartum depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 91, 457461.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O'Hara, M. W., & Zekoski, E. M. (1988) Postpartum depression: a comprehensive review. In Motherhood and Mental Illness (eds Kumar, R. & Brockington, I. F.), pp. 1763. London: Wright.Google Scholar
Paykel, E. S., Emms, E. M., Fletcher, J., et al (1980) Life events and social support in puerperal depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 339346.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sharp, D., Hay, D., Pawlby, S., et al (1995) The impact of postnatal depression on boys' intellectual development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36, 13151336.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weissman, M. & Paykel, E. S. (1974) The Depressed Woman: A Study of Social Relationships. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Weissman, M. & Bothwell, S. (1976) Assessment of social adjustment by patient self-report. Archives of General Psychiatry, 33, 11111115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.