Nov. 25--Postpartum depression isn't just for moms. It affects dads, too, according to research by Eastern Virginia Medical School's Dr. James F. Paulson.
One in 10 fathers experiences depression sometime between the start of pregnancy and the child's first birthday. This is more than double the 4.8 percent of men in the general public experiencing depression. The highest rates of depression -- 25.6 percent -- occur in within three to six months after birth.
Paulson, an associate professor of pediatrics and child psychologist at the Norfolk medical school, and his team recently received a $420,000 research grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for a two-year study of expecting couples in Hampton Roads. The study will track depression in both parents from the third trimester through six months after the birth.
Couples will be compensated for their time. To find out if you're a candidate for the study, go to parentresearch.org.
Paulson became interested in the subject while studying postpartum depression in women. Then in 2004 he noticed new fathers experienced depression at a higher rate than the general population.
His team studied the literature available on it, and most articles were written in the last six years.
"You compare that to literature on women, it goes back to ancient Greece," Paulson said. "Literally, it goes back to ancient Greece."
The research topic has picked up steam in recent years and even came up in an episode of the TV show "Desperate Housewives" this fall.
Paulson didn't see the episode, but he heard about it.
"It's exciting to see that this is something that has made it enough to a level of public awareness that has made it on a TV show," he said. "That's what we need to do with this. I think most people don't understand this could happen with fathers. Raising awareness is one of the key goals, to catch these dads that are depressed and get them into treatment as soon as possible."
Paulson's study will look at both moms and dads to better understand how depression plays out in a family over time. It tends to occur more often together, he said. Does one person's stress cause the other to stress? Over time, does that affect how children develop? Depression in either parent leads to mental health problems for children later on. That's been known for a long time with depression in moms. But studies in recent years discovered that children whose fathers were depressed have a higher risk of psychiatric problems later on in life, Paulson said.
Knowing that dads could be depressed "gives us more of a foothold for intervention and prevention," Paulson said. "I think that has implications to improve families lives in the long run."
Men in general tend to be bad at admitting they're depressed and at seeking help. But what's at stake is more than just the father's wellbeing. It has an effect on the whole family.
"It's not just you who's going to suffer if you go without getting this taken care of. The evidence is that it's going to affect your whole family," Paulson said.
"Whether we're talking about depression in mom or depression in dad, it has an effect on the other partner, and the family as a whole. Thinking about depression in that way is what we need to do more of."
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