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Cited by 23Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and PostpartumInfant Development and Preterm CareMaternal and Neonatal Healthcare

Reciprocal Influence of Depressive Symptoms Between Mothers and Fathers During the First Postpartum Year: A Comparison Among Full-Term, Very Low, and Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants

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Neri, Erica, Giovagnoli, Sara, Genova, Federica, Benassi, Mariagrazia, Stella, Marcello, Agostini, Francesca·2020·Frontiers in Psychiatry
DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.578264PMC PMC7752896
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Abstract

Background: Perinatal depression (PND) in mothers and fathers of very low and extremely low birth weight (VLBW and ELBW) infants has not been studied extensively. In particular, no studies investigated the reciprocal influence of depressive symptoms during the first 12 months postpartum. This study aimed at exploring the impact of the severity of prematurity on maternal and paternal PND during the first postpartum year; specifically, we used an Actor–Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to test the interdependence of both partners on depressive symptoms. Methods: A total of 177 mothers and 177 fathers were recruited, divided into 38 couples with ELBW infants, 56 with VLBW, and 83 of full-term (FT) infants. PND was evaluated by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 3, 9, and 12 months postpartum (corrected age for preterm infants). Results: Maternal depressive symptoms at 3 months were positively related to those at 9 and 12 months in the 3 groups. Conversely, paternal depressive symptoms assessed at 3 months were positively related to those measured at 9 months for the ELBW group, 12 months for the VLBW group, 9 and 12 months for FT condition. Furthermore, a significantly positive partner effect was observed regarding the influence of 3 month maternal depressive symptoms on paternal depressive symptoms at 9 months, but only in the case of the VLBW group. Conclusion: Prematurity represents a very specific scenario in the transition to parenthood, leading to specific reactions in mothers and fathers, especially in high-risk conditions. Results should be deepened given the relevance of their clinical implications.

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  • There was an association between mother and father's depression and anxiety levels, leading to a prevalence of about 20% of families with at least one parent struggling with mental health symptoms 12 months after birth.

    “and anxiety levels (Carson et al., 2015; Neri et al., 2020; Vriend et al., 2021) which led to a prevalence of about 20 % of families with at least one of the parents struggling with symptoms of mental health problems 12 months after birth.”

    From Parental stress and mental health outcomes following very preterm birth: A systematic review of recent findings (2024) · cites this paper as Neri et al., 2020

    The Results (Reciprocal Influence of Depressive Symptoms Between Mothers and Fathers; page unavailable) report an association between partners’ depressive symptoms in the very-low-birth-weight group at 9 months, but no significant partner effect at 12 months. The Discussion (page unavailable) explicitly says anxious symptoms were not investigated. The Results report depressed-parent frequencies, not a prevalence of about 20% of families with at least one symptomatic parent at 12 months. (LLM, conf=0.89)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • There is a correlation between partners' mental health scores; when one parent experiences depression or anxiety, the other partner is more likely to have higher depressive or anxiety symptomatology.

    “An important consideration is the correlation be tween the partners ' mental health scores; when one parent experiences depression or anxiety, his/her partner is also more likely to have higher depressive or anxiety symptomatology (Carson et al., 2015; Neri et al., 2020; Vriend et al., 2021).”

    From Parental stress and mental health outcomes following very preterm birth: A systematic review of recent findings (2024) · cites this paper as Neri et al., 2020

    The Results (Reciprocal Influence of Depressive Symptoms Between Mothers and Fathers; page unavailable) report correlations between mothers’ and fathers’ depressive-symptom scores and, in one very-low-birth-weight model, higher later depressive symptoms in parents whose partners had been more depressed. The paper studies postpartum parents and does not establish the claimed partner association for anxiety symptoms; partner effects were also not significant in several models, including those for full-term infants. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • In the VLBW group, 3-month maternal depressive symptoms positively influence paternal depressive symptoms at 9 months.

    “A significantly positive partner effect was observed regarding the influence of 3- month maternal depressive symptoms on paternal depressive symptoms at 9 months, but only in the case of the VLBW”

    From Parental stress and mental health outcomes following very preterm birth: A systematic review of recent findings (2024) · cites this paper as Neri et al., 2020

  • It is possible that men report depression differently than mothers in self-report scales.

    “it is possible that men report depression differently than mothers in self-report scales (Neri et al., 2020).”

    From Parental stress and mental health outcomes following very preterm birth: A systematic review of recent findings (2024) · cites this paper as Neri et al., 2020

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Authors
Neri, E., Giovagnoli, S., Genova, F., Benassi, M., Stella, M., & Agostini, F.
Affiliations
  • University of Bologna (IT)
  • Ospedale “M. Bufalini” di Cesena (IT)
Corresponding author
Neri, Erica
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2020-12-08
Volume
11
Pages
578264-578264
ISSN
1664-0640 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyt.2020.578264
PMC
PMC7752896
OpenAlex
W3113001872
Cited by
23
References
20
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 3
FWCI
2.62
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Development and Preterm Care
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
Keywords
perinatal depression, postpartum depression, maternal depressive symptoms, paternal depressive symptoms, reciprocal influence, actor-partner interdependence, extremely low birth weight infants, very low birth weight infants, preterm birth, transition to parenthood

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