Understanding perinatal psychopathology in fathers: what about anxiety and illness behavior?

Research on perinatal psychopathology has extensively investigated maternal depression. In recent years, evidence is increasing about the role played by maternal anxiety, in terms of negative consequences on obstetrical and birth outcomes, maternal postnatal adjustment and infant development (Dunkel Schetter, Tanner, 2012). Concerning paternal perinatal psychopathology, only recent literature is showing a growing interest on the study of depression, while anxiety and illness behavior still needs to be further investigated. A prevalence of 20% for anxiety symptoms has been reported in men during their partner's pregnancy (Boyce et al., 2007), with a significant association with woman’s symptoms (Matthey et al., 2003). Besides, paternal prenatal anxiety has been suggested to represent a risk factor for men’s postnatal depression (Edwards et al., 2015). The aim of this talk is to deepen the understanding of perinatal anxiety and somatization in fathers. A brief summary of main findings from international literature on this topic will be presented. Also, data will be shown from two studies, conducted by the authors, on perinatal anxiety in fathers. Both studies focused on: 1) the assessment of perinatal anxiety in fathers from pregnancy to 3 months after birth; 2) the investigation of the relationship between paternal and maternal mood. Differences between the two studies were represented by the investigation on differents dimensions (psychological and physical) of anxiety, and the use of different instruments. The first study focused on stait and trait anxiety and the relationship with pregnancy specific anxieties in mothers. The second study explored general anxiety, somatization, and their relationship with maternal depressive symptoms. In conclusion, few studies have, until now, explicitly assessed paternal perinatal anxiety and illness behavior. This lack of data evidences the need to increase research in this area, as well as the to develop more specific instruments to assess perinatal affective disorders in fathers. References Boyce P, Condon J., Burton J., & Corkindale C. (2007). First-Time Fathers’ Study: psychological distress in expectant fathers during pregnancy. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41, 718-25. Dunkel Schetter C, & Tanner L. (2012). Anxiety, depression and stress in pregnancy: implications for mothers, children, research and practice. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 25(2): 141–148. 9. Edward K., Castle D., Mills C., Davis L., & Casey J. (2015). An integrative review of paternal depression. American Journal of Men’s Health, 9(1), 26-34. Matthey S., Barnett B., Howie P., & Kavanagh D.J. (2003). Diagnosing postpartum depression in mothers and fathers: whatever happened to anxiety? Journal of Affective Disorders, 74(2), 139-47.