Men May Be Depressed by Arrival of Child

The Journal of the American Medial Association published a study noting an increase in depression during their "partner's" pregnancy and during the year following the child's birth. I found out about this from a Los Angeles Times article by Shari Roan.

Discussions of the connection between mental health and childbirth have long focused on women, but a sizeable portion of men experience prenatal and postpartum depression too, according to research released Tuesday.

Well of course a lot of it has focused on women. Women are the ones who ovulate, get pregnant, are pregnant for nine months with at least one other person growing and moving around inside them, go through labor and delivery, lactate, and have all of the pre and post-natal hormonal variations. The guy could die during intercourse. The guy can leave his semen in a cup and never meet the mother - she can still go through all of those things. Pregnancy has effects on men mostly because they are living with the mother, witness the birth, and are socially and financially responsible for their child.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., found that 10.4% of men experienced serious depression at some point between his partner's first trimester and one year after childbirth, more than double the depression rate for men in general.

Is this a surprise? More responsibility, less sex, a wife with mood swings, less sleep, and less freedom. And what if he didn't want to have a child, or didn't want to have a child with this woman? The study appears to take into account all pregnancies, not just ones within marriage, after all, and the article makes no distinction between planned and unwelcome pregnancies.

American men were more likely to experience prenatal or postpartum depression compared with men in other countries, 14.1% in the U.S. compared with 8.2% internationally.

Well, sure – men in some countries may barely look at their child. American men are expected to be as engaged in caring for their baby once he or she is born - aside from breastfeeding, of course – as the mother. Cynics might argue that it is because American men are dealing with American women that there is this increased in depression. Now, I married an American woman. And for the most part I’m happy with her. But I can’t say she is typical. I believe she is extraordinary. But I've never been married to any other American women, so how can my observation be confirmed?

"It's viewed as a disorder of motherhood. It's not viewed by health professionals and the public as a problem in fathers," said James F. Paulson, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk.

But depression in either parent can affect both the couple's relationship and the child's development, Paulson said, adding that further study is needed.

Well of course it can, and of course further study is needed. "Further study is needed" is code for "Give me money to do further study."

The contemporary father may be more vulnerable to this malady than previous generations of fathers because of the increasing number of women in the workplace and the corresponding expectations that he shoulder more responsibilities at home.

Like I said.

"We are expecting dads to be more involved in parenting than we ever have before," said Will Courtenay, a psychotherapist and researcher on paternal depression in Berkeley who was not involved in the study. "Most dads are welcoming of that, but they don't have any models about what a dad is supposed to do. That creates uncertainty, and that uncertainty can lead to anxiety and depression."

I wonder how much guys having been raised without their own fathers in the home is contributing to this? I would like to see comparisons between fathers who were raised by their own fathers and those who weren't raised with their father, and also fathers who had younger siblings and those who didn't.

Someone named "knew.horizon" wrote after the story that...

What is problematic about this is how the press wants to make a issue out of an everyday happening. Men become fathers everyday and for the most part, they do quite well and have for centuries. So, 10% of men get depressed after the birth of a child. Big deal. It's only natural, hell, I bet a larger percent of men get depressed after their first relationship rejection.

"Wendy L" wrote...

Everyone can get depression. Postpartum depression is different for the mom because the body goes through a lot of changes…Yes it's true that things can be tough for the dad too, but it's really not the same.

"LAmark" responded...

It is amazing the sexism towards men in these two first comments from Wendy L and knew.horizon.

Ten percent of any population is a significant number.

"mike.polyurethane" wrote...

Just change it to depression instead of Postpartum, otherwise some women will feel like their ego's victim side is getting diminished.

That change will most likely alleviate the sexist remarks like "take it like a man", aka shutup because you were born incorrectly

I do believe that women have to deal with a lot more when it comes to hormonal issues (I mean, that's a fact, right?), and I do not envy them in that regard. On the other hand, most women have no idea what it is like to have huge amounts of testosterone racing through their system. Men understand why teenage guys do what they do, whether it is fighting or yelling or jumping through major hoops to have an orgasm or simply get a glimpse at a nice female body.

Finally, "bawbee" wrote...

I mostly think the depression comes from now having to raise the kid in the United States where the politicians tie the parents hand behind their backs.

While I agree that there is likely too much undermining and limiting of parental authority these days, I do not think that has any impact on how fathers are feeling while dealing with a pregnant partner or infant.

On the flip side to all of this is that becoming a father can be enormously uplifting to a man, too. Becoming and being a father has been one of those experiences that I can talk about, but I know another guy is not going to fully get it until he becomes a father himself. From the prenatal visit with the listening and the viewings, to the births, to having the kids welcome me home and share their joy over learning something knew – there are so many emotions and feelings that fill a happy father.