Paternal Post-Partum Depression and Perinatal Anxiety with Infants Up to 6 Months: Indian Urban Study

Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to determine the presence of postpartum depression (PPD) and perinatal anxiety (PA) experienced by fathers 6 months from birth. The objectives of this study focused on measuring the relationship between perinatal anxiety and postpartum depression in fathers, to find the difference in perinatal anxiety between fathers who had a planned or unplanned pregnancy, to find the difference between young-aged fathers and middle-aged fathers with respect to postpartum depression and lastly, to understand the difference in perinatal anxiety in groups of fathers who have previously experienced a miscarriage and those who have never experienced miscarriage. Methods: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale were administered to 85 fathers aged 20–51 years with infants aged 0–6 months from urban Bengaluru and Goa. A quantitative, cross-sectional comparative design was employed. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling. SPSS for Windows was used to carry out Mann-Whitney U and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient after testing for normality and homogeneity of variances. Statistical significance was set at p < .05 for all analyses. Results: A weak negative, non-significant correlation was found between PPD and PA (r = –.085, p = .437). Fathers aged 36–51 years reported significantly higher depression scores (U = 541.50, z = -3.182, p = .001) than fathers aged 20-35 years. Fathers of unplanned pregnancies had significantly higher anxiety (U = 211.00, z = -5.973, p = .000). No significant differences in PA were observed between fathers with and without a history of miscarriage (U = 714.00, z = -0.176, p = .860). Conclusion: Paternal PPD and PA were not significantly associated. Age and planning significantly influenced symptoms of PPD and PA respectively, while miscarriage history showed no effect on PA. Thus, highlighting the importance of routine screening and targeted interventions in paternal mental healthcare.