Tanvi Bansal
Mothers are at a higher risk for depression during and after the pregnancy period and may continue to have for even when the child grows up. But fathers, whose bodies do not undergo through the same biological changes as mothers, can experience prenatal or postnatal depression? Around 5 to 25 percent of the new moms experience postpartum and at the same time one out of every ten men experienced postpartum depression (Sit & Wisner, 2009). This type of depression in men is much less documented, meaning a large chunk of fathers are suffering from this syndrome silently. Drastic changes in lives of both the parents take place, after the birth of a baby. An infants birth is much more than happiness and joyous moments, it involves taking care of the child, sleepless nights, fights with the partner and going to work exhausted. Therefore, this paper argues that while postpartum depression is most commonly associated with mothers, there exists an equally prevalent syndrome for fathers – the paternal postpartum depression (PPD).
The incidence of paternal depression among men with postpartum partners ranges from 24% to 50%. Fathers whose partners also have postpartum depression are found to have a 2.5-fold higher risk of depression at six weeks postnatal than fathers whose partners have no depression (Kim & Swain, 2007). Irrefutably, more drastic transformations take place in mothers’ lives like delivery problems but at the same time the changes in fathers’ lives cannot be ignored. Just as the mothers’ array of new demanding roles and tasks increases, it also changes for the fathers. In this regard, fathers are more vulnerable to depression, if the mothers already suffer from postpartum depression. As, bringing up the child requires cooperation of both the parents. Due to this prevailing maternal PPD, it can result in lower levels of understanding in both the partners. Thus, on the whole depression in one parent can result in fear, anxiety and somber mood in the family, which may prompt depression in another parent.
Furthermore, females go through a lot of biological and physiological changes during pregnancy whereas, men also undergoes physical changes. This involves dysregulation or drop in level of hormones after the birth of child. Changes in hormones can cause imbalance in proper functioning of a human being. Consequently, transition to parenthood in fathers’ results in the drop of testosterone level. Fathers become more vulnerable to depression at lower levels of this hormone. But researchers suggest that increase in the level of this hormone results in less rewarding and more aggressive relationships, fewer satisfied spouses and more pressure of parenting (Saxbe, 2017). Thereafter, these results suggest that men with average levels of postpartum testosterone showed to deal the best with fatherhood. In addition to this, lower level of estrogen, lower level of cortisol, lower level of vasopressin receptor and lower level of prolactin level can be the causes of higher rate of depression in postpartum affected fathers. As, with increase of all these hormones are associated with good parenting, less depressed moods, coping with stress and enhanced parent-infant bonding in fathers (Kim & Swain, 2007).
The reality of giving birth to a child is far from imagined. Problems in interconnections between parents, lack of family support, financial crisis, differences in atmosphere of society, work and culture can all lead to depressive moods during postpartum period in fathers specifically. Firstly, the birth of an infant increases the financial burden on the family. In this case, if the family is already going through financial crunch, it is highly likely for the male to fall in postpartum depression. As there is a lot of pressure on the father to provide the best for the baby and the family, these expectations can trigger this syndrome. Secondly, fathers report being isolated and jealous from the mother- infant bonding due to the mothers’ dominance in spending more intimate time with the infant (Kim & Swain, 2007). This feeling of exclusion, neglect and lack of paternal bonding with the child can give rise to postpartum anxiety and depression. Thirdly, while discussing ecological risks of postpartum depression, one of the major reasons for it could be change in sex life after the birth of the baby. About 53% to 79% of the women who gave birth vaginally reported sex as painful, even after months of giving birth, not only that due to demands of new motherhood, a loss of interest in sex was also observed (Kerr, 2018). The mother is not physically and emotionally fit to have sex during postpartum period. This experience of sexual deprivation can give arousal of depressive thoughts in fathers.
To conclude, mental health of the partner, biological risks and ecological factors can all together lead to the development of postpartum depression in men. In both parents, transition to parenthood is not an easy change in life and it can adversely affect them both. Therefore, there is nothing to hide or shy away depression in fathers during postpartum period. Rather, seeking help from experts and discussing it with the psychologists will promote a healthier atmosphere in the family along with inclusion of positive feelings in the up bringing of the child.
References
Kerr, B. (2019, October 21). Just Had a Baby? You'll Have Sex Again...Someday. Retrieved from https://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/a19459059/sex-after-baby/.
Kim, P., & Swain, J. E. (2007). Sad dads: paternal postpartum depression. Psychiatry (edgmont), 4(2), 35.
Saxbe, D. (2017, August 26). Postpartum Depression Can Affect Dads. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/postpartum-depression-can-affect-dads/.
Sit, D. K., & Wisner, K. L. (2009). The identification of postpartum depression. Clinical obstetrics and gynecology, 52(3), 456.
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