Psychology Update — Expectant Dads Get the Blues, Too

Posted October 26th, 2015 by David Berg & filed under Psychology Update.

TITLE

Expectant Dads Get the Blues, Too

DESCRIPTION

A small study surveyed behavioral issues in men comparing symptom patterns that differentiated the first two trimesters of pregnancy from patterns during the third trimester. Researchers asked the men “…to rank their mood, physical activity, sleep quality, financial stress, and marital dynamics over the six months prior to birth. The result: 13.3% of dads reported symptoms of depression.” The rankings on each of the scales were higher for these men. This suggests that fathers-to-be get screened prior to the birth of the child as a means of prevention just as the women would be screened. The researchers plan to examine the postnatal period for depression in the fathers in a future study.

SOURCE

Time, October 6, 2015, by Tanya Basu

Original: Da Costa, D and others, (September 18, 2015) Dads Get Sad Too: Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Expectant First-Time Fathers, Am J Mens Health 1557988315606963

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://time.com/4062761/expectant-dads-depression/

Original:

http://jmh.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/09/16/1557988315606963

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•Discussion: how is depressive affect in men characterized behaviorally?
•What types of symptoms are measured in men in the study? (listed in article)
•What might be hypothesized/projected for those rating higher depression during the postnatal period?
•Though not in the article, can the students suggest preventative health steps that might be taken for these men to ameliorate any postnatal effects?