Prevalence of paternal postpartum depression

Background: Postpartum Depression is a type of mood disorder associated with childbirth, which can occur in both parents. It is a major public health concern because it produces insidious effects on the well-being of new born as well as on the whole family. Objective: This study aims to determine the prevalence of postpartum depression among fathers in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: This cross sectional survey was conducted among fathers, purposive convenient and snowball sampling was used to approach 120 participants after obtaining permission from Al-Khidmat Hospital and Combined Military Hospital (CMH).Participants were aged between 20-50 years, had a newly born child between the past 6 weeks to 1 year. Each participant was required to fill an informed consent, demographic form and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale’s (EPDS), translated Urdu version. The data was collected and statistically analyzed. Results: The study findings show that 28.3% fathers experienced depressive symptoms, out of which 25.8% experienced mild while 2.5% experienced severe depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Paternal postpartum depression is quite prevalent among new fathers in Karachi. Depression among fathers is an area of substantial significance as it may enhance the risk of mental health problems among children. Health services should support new fathers by providing information about this major transition. These results clearly show that there is a need to assess expectant and new fathers for depression. Prevention, early identification and intervention of paternal post- partum depression are immensely required