Interventions for paternal perinatal depression: A systematic review

The prevalence of paternal perinatal depression (PPD) is approximately 10%. Despite this epidemiology and what is known about the importance of paternal mental health to family functioning, there is limited research on evidence-based interventions for PPD. This systematic review aimed to investigate the literature for randomized-controlled trials (RCT) of interventions for PPD.

This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Databases searched included Medline, EMBASE, EBM Reviews, PubMed, PsycInfo, and CINAHL. Search terms included depression, depressive disorder, fathers, pregnancy, and peripartum period, etc. RESULTS: The search strategy identified 2949 items. A total of 10 interventions over the course of 25 years of research met inclusion criteria. Three of the included studies found a small but significant effect on paternal depression scores. However, none of the included studies exclusively targeted paternal mental health. Instead, they addressed paternal well-being indirectly by focusing on the mother, infant, or couple relationship.

Studies did not require fathers to meet criteria for depression at baseline. This may have resulted in a selection bias, whereby the included fathers may not have required any treatment. We were also unable to perform additional statistical analyses because of the limited research available as well as the inconsistent outcome measures.

There remains limited research on interventions assessing paternal depressive symptomatology, and none have targeted diagnosed PPD. Because of the prevalence and impact of this disorder, it is imperative to identify and offer treatments and interventions specifically tailored towards this population.