Parents more likely to face depression during the first year of child’s birth—study
POSTED September 8, 2010 - 11:34 | POSTED BY neha gupta
Last edited by Silky Chandvani on September 8, 2010 - 12:14
Parents face the highest risk of depression during the first year after a child's birth, the study confirms.
For the study, the database of the Health Improvement Network, which has clinical data on about five million patients from more than 350 U.K. general practices, was analyzed by the researchers.
86,957 mother-father-child triads between 1993 and 2007 of varying lengths of follow-up, by linking mothers and babies and then identifying an adult household man., were taken into account by the study.
Tools like diagnostic codes and antidepressant prescriptions were used to find out if the participants were under any sort of depression.
Revelations of the study
19,286 mothers had faced a total of 25,176 episodes of depression between their children's births and their 12th birthdays while 8,012 fathers had a total of 9,683 episodes of depression, the study reveals.
The overall incidence of depression from the birth of the child to age 12 was 7.53 per 100 person-years in mothers, while the figure for fathers was 2.69 per 100 person-years.
The depression rates were higher during the first year of birth, with rates for mothers and fathers being 13.93 and 3.56 per 100 person-years respectively.
Mothers aged between 15 and 24 were 56 percent more likely to have an episode of depression than those aged between 25 and 34, while fathers in the younger group were 13 percent more likely to be depressed.
Potential reasons behind the depression
Resumption of antidepressants following a break in pregnancy, an unplanned pregnancy, and breastfeeding are some of the possible reasons leading to the depression amongst new parents.
It has also been found that the parents who are less social face the highest risk of facing the depression.
"Depression in parents is associated with adverse behavioral, developmental, and cognitive outcomes in their children," the authors wrote.
"These high rates of depression in the postpartum period are not surprising owing to the potential stress associated with the birth of a baby, e.g., poor parental sleep, the demands made on parents and the change in their responsibilities, and the pressure this could place on the couple's relationship," the authors added.
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