Assessment of Postpartum Depression in a Group of Chilean Parents

• Main Authors: Francisca Sofía Pérez Cortés, Anthea Catalán, Alyson Morales, Antonia Quinlan, Diego Riquelme, Javiera Navarro, Camila Riquelme
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IMR (Innovative Medical Research) Press Limited 2018-05-01
• Series: Journal of Men's Health
• Online Access: http://jomh.org/index.php/JMH/article/view/79

Background and objective: Several studies have shown that not only mothers, but also fathers can suffer from peripartum depression. This phenomenon has not been researched in Chile; therefore, the aim of present study is to explore the presence of depressive symptoms in fathers and mothers during the postpartum period and describe their interaction. Material and Methods: users of the Western Metropolitan Health Service Unit were assessed two months after childbirth with a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-I), and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Results: even though mothers score significantly higher in both scales, 18.5% of men surpass the cutoff score in the EPDS and 10.5% in the BDI-I. Conclusion: these results stress the need to continue researching this phenomenon and incorporate father assessment in perinatal checkups. Keywords: depression, peripartum, fathers, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale