A survey in the United States found that about 20% of women will suffer from postpartum depression. A new study published in New Zealand found that postpartum depression is not only the patent of mother, but also the patent of father.
Dr Lisa Underwood, a researcher at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and her team analyzed the depressive symptoms of 3523 men with an average age of 33. The study was conducted between the third month of pregnancy and the ninth month after the birth of the child. It was found that 82 (2.3%) male participants had depressive symptoms before the birth of their children. By 9 months after birth, the number of men suffering from depression increased to 153 (4.3%). Further analysis shows that a prospective father is more likely to suffer from depression if he breaks up with his wife, gets sick or loses his job before the baby is born.
The researchers said that the new study found that the period of wife's pregnancy and childbirth is the high incidence of postpartum depression in men. Due to hormonal fluctuations in the body, women may be depressed during the perinatal period. As far as dad is concerned, the arrival of the newborn will also cause him physical and psychological stress, and the brain circuit, structure and hormone level may change, thus increasing the risk of depressive symptoms. Because father's depression will directly or indirectly affect children, it is very important to find and treat male postpartum depression as soon as possible. (Chen Zonglun).