Review of Literature on Father’s Postpartum Depression less than one year

Abstract

Summary

The purpose of this study was to review previous studies on postpartum depression of fathers less than one year after childbirth, to clarify the relevant details and effects, and to suggest that the father obtain support so as not to succumb to depression. Therefore, we focused our study on domestic and international literature from 2007 to 2017 and searched Ichushi-Web, CiNii, Medical Online, Magazine plus, PubMed, Cochrane, and refer to a document list of related preceding studies. As a result, we targeted 24 research papers comprising 7 Japanese papers and 17 English papers. It was reported that fathers who become depressed soon after childbirth are an increasing trend and may affect families. An additional survey finding was that about 10.4% of postpartum fathers had a high-level of anxiety symptoms. Just like the mother, it was suggested that the father’s postpartum depression has an impact on the child’s development, such as declining emotional instability and social skills. Many studies on the mother’s postpartum depression have been conducted in Japan, but studies on the father’s postpartum depression are rarely conducted compared with other countries. In the future, as the father’s participation in childcare increases, the postpartum depression of fathers is also expected to increase, but it can be said that there is little support for postpartum fathers involved with childcare. The building of social systems and support that enable the father to have peace of mind is an important future challenge.