New Fathers Face 30% Increased Depression Risk in First Year, Study Finds
A study of 1.9 million births in Sweden found new fathers have a 30% increased risk of depression and anxiety disorders by their baby's first birthday. The research highlights the need for better mental health screening and support for fathers during the postpartum period.
New fathers face a 30% increased risk of depression and stress disorders by the end of their first year of fatherhood, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. The research, which tracked 1.9 million births from nearly 1.1 million fathers in Sweden between 2003 and 2021, found that diagnosis rates for psychiatric disorders increased by 30% for problems like depression and anxiety as their baby's first birthday approached.
This delayed increase in depression was unexpected and underscores the need to pay attention to warning signs of mental ill-health in fathers long after the birth of their child. The study showed that men were more than five times less likely to be diagnosed with any psychiatric disorder during their partner's pregnancy and after their child's birth, but diagnosis rates returned to normal levels within a few months of delivery before increasing again.
Researchers emphasized that this could be an underestimate since the study is based on clinical diagnoses, meaning men who didn't seek medical care might have been overlooked. The transition to fatherhood often involves both positive experiences and a range of new stresses, with many cherishing intimate moments with their child while experiencing relationship changes with their partner and deteriorating sleep quality that can contribute to increased mental health risks.
These results indicate that men could be getting the short end of the stick when it comes to pregnancy care. Screening for mental health concerns in fathers is important and is something that isn't really done very much. During pregnancy, a woman typically has roughly six to eight appointments with a doctor in the first postpartum year, while an infant has roughly six or so appointments, but the father in that entire nine-month time span of the pregnancy plus the postpartum year may see their primary care doctor once, if that.
Medical experts advise new fathers to make sure they look after themselves even as they're caring for their family, noting that you can't support other people if you're not feeling supported yourself or if you're not well. Support groups are emerging for new fathers, and these could be an important resource, with a growing ecosystem of support resources for fathers, though not yet entirely established.