Parental depression greater in postnatal period, study finds

Prevalence of depression in parental dyads was greatest during in the postnatal interval, while persistent throughout the perinatal period, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

“Common mental disorders such as anxiety and depression are associated with morbidity for new and expectant parents,” Kara L. Smythe, MD, MSc, of the department of primary care and population health at the Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care at University College London, and colleagues wrote.

Smythe and fellow researchers sought to examine the prevalence of mood disorders in parental dyads around the time of their child’s birth and to identify the factors associated with perinatal mood disorders in those couples.

The systematic meta-analysis was conducted by searching MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO as well as Web of Science from January 1990 to June 2021, to locate observational studies that reported either prevalence of perinatal depression or anxiety in parental dyads.

Information was analyzed from 23 studies, within which 29,286 couples were included. Data were analyzed in June 2021 according to the following subgroups: antenatal depression, early postnatal depression (0 to 12 weeks), late postnatal depression (3 to 12 months), and perinatal anxiety. Pooled prevalence was calculated using a random-effects meta-analysis model. Quality assessment was performed using Joanna Briggs Institute Appraisal Checklist for Studies Reporting Prevalence Data.

Results showed that pooled prevalence of antenatal depression in both parents was 1.72% (95% CI, 0.96%-2.48%), while the prevalence of early postnatal depression (up to 12 weeks postpartum) was 2.37% (95% CI, 1.66%-3.08%) and the prevalence of late postnatal depression (3 to 12 months postpartum) was 3.18% (95% CI, 2.3-4.05). Only three studies reported on perinatal anxiety in both parents, precluding a quantitative analysis.

“Further research should examine the coexistence of mood disorders in new or expectant parents, and the ideal screening tool, particularly for new or expectant fathers,” Smythe and colleagues wrote.

In a related editorial, Susan Garthus-Niegel, PhD, of the Institute for Systems Medicine and Faculty of Medicine at the MSH Medical School Hamburg, said that “further studies of perinatal mental health problems should focus on the inclusion of couples in different constellations and, in general, on the inclusion of more diverse populations.”

Reference:

• Smythe KL et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.18969.
• Garthus-Niegel S. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.18978.