Abstract
Similar to maternal depression, paternal depression may have adverse effects on the family environment (e.g., partner mental health, child behavior). Detection of paternal depression is rare because the maternal–child health care system usually only screens for maternal depression. The scarcity of paternal depression screening and detection is due to fathers not usually being involved in the maternal–child health care system and, therefore, unavailable for depression screening. The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-Partner Version (EPDS-P) in detecting paternal depression through maternal report. The EPDS-P, rated by the mother, was found to be a reliable and valid measure of paternal depression when compared to other well-validated measures of depression. The EPDS-P has clinical utility in the maternal–child health care system by making it possible to screen for paternal depression without the father being present. Proxy screening for paternal depression can be beneficial for early detection and treatment of paternal depression both in the perinatal period and through a child’s early life. Detection and treatment of paternal depression reduces the risk of long-term depression in fathers.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brealey SD, Hewitt C, Green JM, Morrell J, Gilbody S (2010) Screening for postnatal depression—is it acceptable to women and healthcare professionals? A systematic review and meta-synthesis. J Reprod Infant Psychol 28:328–344. doi:10.1080/02646838.2010.513045
Chaudron LH, Szilagyi PG, Kitzman HJ, Wadkins HIM, Conwell Y (2004) Detection of postpartum depressive symptoms by screening at well-child visits. Pediatrics 113:551–558. doi:10.1542/peds.113.3.551
Cox J, Holden J, Sagovsky R (1987) Detection of postnatal depression development of the 10 item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Br J Psychiatry 150:782–786. doi:10.1192/bjp.150.6.782
Cox JL, Chapman G, Murray D, Jones P (1996) Validation of the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) in non-postnatal women. J Affect Disord 39:185–189. doi:10.1016/0165-0327(96)00008-0
Earls MF, the Committee on Psychological Aspects of Child and Family Health (2010) Incorporating recognition and management of perinatal and postpartum depression into pediatric practice. Pediatrics 126:1032–1039. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-2348
Gibson J, McKenzie-McHarg K, Shakespeare J, Price J, Gray RA (2009) A systematic review of studies validating the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in antepartum and postpartum women. Acata Psychiatr Scand 119:350–364. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2009.01363.x
Gonzalez JM, Alegria M, Prihoda TJ (2005) How do attitudes toward mental health treatment vary by age, gender, and ethnicity/race in young adults? J Commun Psychol 33:611–629. doi:10.1002/jcop.20071
Gonzalez JM, Alegria M, Prihoda TJ, Copeland LA, Zeber JE (2011) How the relationship of attitudes toward mental health treatment and service use differs by age, gender, ethnicity/race and education. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 46:45–57. doi:10.1007/s00127-009-0168-4
Goodman JH (2004) Paternal postpartum depression, its relationship to maternal postpartum depression, and implications for family health. J Adv Nurs 45:26–35. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2648.2003.02857.x
Haaga DA, McDermut W, Ahrens AH (1993) Discriminant validity of the inventory to diagnose depression. J Personal Assess 60:285–289. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa6002_6
Hosmer DW, Lemeshow S (2000) Applied logistic regression, 2nd edn. Wiley Interscience, New York
Kane P, Garber J (2004) The relations among depression in fathers, children’s psychopathology, and father–child conflict: a meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev 24:339–360. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2004.03.004
Kavanaugh M, Halterman JS, Montes G, Epstein M, Hightower AD, Weitzman M (2006) Ambul Pediatr 6:32–37. doi:10.1016/j.ambp.2005.09.002
Leaf PJ, Bruce ML (1987) Gender differences in the use of mental health-related services: a re-examination. J Heal Soc Behav 28:171–183. doi:10.2307/2137130
Matthey S, Barnett B, Kavanagh DJ, Howie P (2001) Validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for men, and comparison of item endorsement with their partners. J Affect Disord 64:175–184. doi:10.1016/S0165-0327(00)00236-6
Matthey S, Henshaw C, Elliot S, Barnett B (2006) Variability in use of cut-off scores and formats on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale—implications for clinical and research practice. Arch Women’s Ment Health 9:309–315. doi:10.1007/s00737-006-0152-x
McLennan JD, Kotelchuck M (2000) Parental prevention practices for young children in the context of maternal depression. Pediatrics 105:1090–1095. doi:10.1542/peds.105.5.1090
Mehta SK, Richards N (2002) Parental involvement in pediatric cardiology outpatient visits. Clin Pediatr 41:593–596. doi:10.1177/000992280204100806
Mezulis AH, Hyde JS, Clark R (2004) Father involvement moderates the effect of maternal depression during a child’s infancy on child behavior problems in kindergarten. J Fam Psychol 18:575–588. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.18.4.575
Moran TE, O’Hara MW (2006) A partner-rating scale of postpartum depression: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-Partner (EPDS-P). Arch Women’s Ment Health 9:173–180. doi:10.1007/s00737-006-0136-x
Paulson JF, Bazemore SD (2010) Prenatal and postpartum depression in fathers and its association with maternal depression: a meta-analysis. JAMA 303:1961–1969. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.605
Paulson JF, Dauber S, Leiferman JA (2006) Individual and combined effects of postpartum depression in mothers and fathers on parenting behavior. Pediatrics 118:659–668. doi:10.1542/peds.2005-2948
Phares V, Lopez E, Fields S, Kamboukos D, Duhig AM (2005) Are fathers involved in pediatric psychology research and treatment? J Pediatr Psychol 30:631–643. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsi050
Quevedo L, da Silva RA, Coelho F, Pinheiro KAT, Horta BL, Kapczinski F, Pinheiro RT (2011) Risk of suicide and mixed episode in men in the postpartum period. J Affect Disord 132:243–246. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2011.01.004
Ramchandani P, Stein A, Evans J, O’Connor TG, the ALSPAC study team (2005) Paternal depression in the postnatal period and child development: a prospective population study. Lancet 365:2201–2205. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)66778-5
Roberts SL, Bushnell JA, Collings SC, Purdie GL (2006) Psychological health of men with partners who have post-partum depression. Aust N Z Psychiatr 40:704–711. doi:10.1080/j.1440-1614.2006.01871.x
Uehara T, Sato T, Sakado K, Kameda K (1997) Discriminant validity of the inventory to diagnose depression between patients with major depression and pure anxiety disorders. Psychiatr Res 71:57–61. doi:10.1016/S0165-1781(97)00040-1
Weitzman M, Rosenthal DG, Liu Y (2011) Paternal depressive symptoms and child behavioral or emotional problems in the United States. Pediatrics 128:1–9. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-3034
Zimmerman M, Coryell W (1987) The inventory to diagnose depression (IDD): a self-report scale to diagnose major depressive disorder. J Consult Clin Psychol 55:55–59. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.55.1.55
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fisher, S.D., Kopelman, R. & O’Hara, M.W. Partner report of paternal depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-Partner. Arch Womens Ment Health 15, 283–288 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-012-0282-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-012-0282-2