Depression, anxiety and abnormal illness behaviour during perinatal period: correlations between mothers and fathers.

Depression, anxiety and abnormal illness behaviour during perinatal period: correlations between mothers and fathers Introduction During perinatal period the parent's emotional states are significantly linked and an important function of the father seems to be provision of a secure base for the mother. In fact, anxious or depressed fathers can be a handicap for the emotional equilibrium of their companion. Method To better understand the possible effects of parental affective symptoms and illness behaviour on the couple relationships and on the partner's mental state, the authors studied a sample of 50 couples assessed from the second trimester of pregnancy to the first trimester after delivery. On four occasions (at the 5th and 8th month of pregnancy, on the 3rd-6th day after delivery and at the 3rd month after delivery) all the subjects were asked to fill out the following questionnaires: the Illness Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ), the Symptom Questionnaire (SQ), the CES-D and a Psychosocial Couple Questionnaire. Results Statistical analysis outlined that during pregnancy up to the puerperium fathers suffer from emotional alterations with oscillations that are correlated with the maternal suffering. The fathers whose partners have been diagnosed with an affective alteration during post-partum (maternity blues or post-partum depression) are more depressed (p= .01), anxious (p= .02) and show higher levels of somatization (p= .05) and hypochondria (p= .03). They tend to manifest their suffering with somatic complains (p= .001), to be less involved in the delivery and absent at the partum moment (p= .001) and to worry about their health condition and paternal role. Conclusions In our sample the partners of women who undergo depressive post-partum symptoms differ significantly from the controls and manifest more anxiety and depression, or increased affective disorders already at the fifth month of pregnancy. Psychological interventions in the affective troubles during pregnancy and puerperium would therefore concern both parents.