RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Even though the development of an emotional bond to the child involves both parents, studies on the development of paternal bonding and the influencing factors are scarce. This pilot study examines the quality of paternal postnatal bonding in association with paternal depressive and anxiety symptoms before and after birth. Methods: Expecting parents (n = 81) were recruited from maternity services in Frankfurt, Germany. At recruitment and 3 months postpartum (pp) mothers and fathers completed an interview including sociodemographic and pregnancy data. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were screened using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. At 3-month pp, fathers also completed the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire for the assessment of bonding difficulties. A total of 63 couples, from whom data were available for both time points, were included in the final study group. RESULTS: Depressive and anxiety symptoms before birth are the best predictors for the quality of paternal bonding pp (Total score R2 .402 p = .001; Impaired bonding R2 .299 p = .019; Rejection and Anger R2 .353 p = .005; Anxiety about care R2 .457 p = .000). Maternal depression and sociodemographic variables were not significantly associated. LIMITATIONS: High selected small study group. CONCLUSIONS: Paternal depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy are highly predictive for the quality of bonding as well as for the presence of depressive and anxiety symptoms 3 month pp. It is necessary to identify these symptoms as soon as possible in order to prevent later negative impacts on parental mental health and on child developmental outcomes.
RESUMO
Depression in the perinatal period is common in mothers worldwide. Emerging research indicates that fathers are also at risk of developing perinatal depression. However, knowledge regarding biological risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms of perinatal depression is still scarce, particularly in fathers. It has been suggested that the neurotrophin BDNF may play a role in maternal perinatal depression; however, there is currently no data regarding paternal perinatal depression. For this pilot study, 81 expecting parents were recruited and assessed at several time points. We screened for depression using EPDS and MADRS, investigated several psychosocial variables, and took blood samples for BDNF val66met genotyping, epigenetic, and protein analysis. Between pregnancy and 12 months postpartum (pp), we found that 3.7 to 15.7% of fathers screened positive for depression, and 9.6 to 24% of mothers, with at least a twofold increased prevalence in both parents using MADRS compared with EPDS. We also identified several psychosocial factors associated with perinatal depression in both parents. The data revealed a trend that lower BDNF levels correlated with maternal depressive symptoms at 3 months pp. In the fathers, no significant correlations between BDNF and perinatal depression were found. Pregnant women demonstrated lower BDNF methylation and BDNF protein expression compared with men; however, these were found to increase postpartum. Lastly, we identified correlations between depressive symptoms and psychosocial/neurobiological factors. The data suggest that BDNF may play a role in maternal perinatal depression, but not paternal.