By As a result of the increase in cases of paternal perinatal depression, therapeutic alternatives are proposed to stop and prevent it. What do these practices consist of? Join us to discover them.
Depression is a clinical condition that can arise during pregnancy and childbirth. It gives rise to what we know as perinatal depression and affects both the mother and the father. Although this process is often associated with women, there are increasingly more reports of cases of fathers subjected to the impact of its symptoms.
There are many reasons for the increase in the number of diagnoses. Among them, there is a greater awareness and, therefore, a better identification of perinatal depression by professionals. In addition, changes in gender roles, with an increase in paternal involvement, contribute to fathers being more involved and assuming greater pressure to care for their children.
It is essential to understand the importance of preventing perinatal depression, since its most serious consequence is suicide. It also tends to cause a significant deterioration in the relationship between the father and his child. Below are some keys to addressing this problem with awareness and responsibility.
“Depression is the inability to build a future.”
-Rollo May-
Perinatal depression in the father
The word “ birth ” causes a lot of anxiety for both mothers and fathers. Not only because of the delicate nature of the event itself, but because having a child requires significant psychosocial changes, as it impacts on spheres as diverse as work, family and interpersonal life.
Thanks to the increased awareness we mentioned earlier, there are more and more studies, such as the one published in The Lancet Global Health , that shed light on the factors related to this pathology. Thus, an association is seen between paternal perinatal depression and maternal perinatal depression (Chmielewska et al ., 2021).
Therefore, it is common to observe that both members of the relationship have symptoms of depression or the clinical entity has fully developed.
Its consequences on the father-mother-baby family system are quite negative. So much so that, in the diversity of effects described, one of the most striking data is that parental depression inhibits the normal development of social skills in infants (Sweeney et al., 2016) and constitutes a springboard to various forms of abuse and neglect (Takehara et al ., 2017).
“Depression is the closing of the heart to the world.”
-Andrew Solomon-
How can it be prevented?
Identifying fathers who are at high risk of developing this clinical entity is the objective of multiple investigations on the prevention of perinatal depression (Iwata et al., 2023). In this regard, risk factors such as the following are reported (Ansari et al., 2021):
- Stress .
- Couple with depression.
- Little satisfaction with the partner.
- Perception of little social support.
- Undergoing infertility treatment.
- History of mental health problems.
- Lack of stability on the economic level.
To minimize the danger, different interventions are developed. The protocols focus specifically on three areas: the father and mother individually, the couple, and the family (Birken et al., 2023). Let’s investigate them.
“Being depressed means having the feeling of being sunk in a black hole with no way out.”
-Aaron T. Beck-
1. Father-centered interventions
The therapy focuses exclusively on the father. Among the elements addressed during the sessions, we find those we will now see (Birken et al., 2023):
- Guidelines on lifestyle or daily routines. These are possible by teaching habits related to sleep hygiene or treating sexual dysfunctions , if any.
- “Skin-to-skin” touch is a powerful technique. A father holding his baby for at least half an hour, bare-chested, is a technique that could protect against paternal perinatal depression.
- Teaching practical skills. For example, giving your partner a massage to relieve the pain he or she feels as a result of the physiological changes that occur during childbirth, strengthens the relationship and the biological connection with the process being experienced.
As can be seen, the core of the intervention is primarily educational. In this way, the aim is to provide the father with strategies to strengthen the emotional bond , both with the mother and with the newborn.
“Parenting isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about being present and willing to learn alongside your children.”
-Shefali Tsabary-
2. Couple-focused interventions
Its basis is the “husband-wife dyad”, with the aim of preventing depression and promoting the quality of the bond that unites them. Among the contents covered in the sessions we find the dialogue about the fact of being parents “together” and the need to ask for help if they find themselves in trouble.
The challenges of parenthood are also addressed , as the husband-wife relationship has the potential to change. For example, they have less time to spend with each other. In this regard, the implications of the transition from the “husband-wife dyad” to the “father-mother-baby” triad are discussed.
“Being a parent is the greatest act of leadership anyone can perform.”
-John C. Maxwell-
3. Family-centered interventions
These interventions often include sessions with more parents in similar situations. According to Birken et al., 2023, some of their components are the following:
- Education for parents whose children were born prematurely.
- Psychoeducational mobile apps focused on first-time parents.
- Behavioral training for parents of newborns in neonatal intensive care.
In the case of mothers, an example of online intervention could be found in the “MomMoodBooster” program (Fonseca-Pedrero et al., 2021). This scheme, based on cognitive behavioral therapy , seeks to address various symptoms, such as pessimism, low self-esteem, or social isolation.
Strategies to address perinatal depression in fathers are promising
As we have seen, cases of paternal perinatal depression are increasingly being diagnosed. Furthermore, these symptoms are associated with perinatal depression suffered by the mother.
For this reason, interventions are being developed that target the three focal points detected: the father, the husband-wife relationship and the mother-father-baby triad. The results are promising, although further research is still needed in this regard.
“Depression is like a vicious circle that feeds on itself.”
-Martin Seligman-