Prevalence of perinatal depression among Japanese men: a meta-analysis

Perinatal depression is a widely discussed mental illness that occurs not only in women, but also in men. A previous international meta-analysis of the prevalence of paternal perinatal depression suggested that cross-cultural variables or socioeconomic environment may influence paternal depression. However, it is not clear that these data are general enough to apply to Japanese men, and there are few review articles about perinatal depression among this demographic. The purpose of our study is to provide a reliable estimate of the prevalence of perinatal depression among Japanese men.

We searched two databases, PubMed and ICHUSHI, to identify studies with data on the prevalence of prenatal or postpartum depression among Japanese men. Data were extracted from reports published from January 1994 to June 2018. The period prevalence of paternal perinatal depression among Japanese men was investigated. A subgroup analysis of gender differences in perinatal depression was also performed.

We reviewed 1,379 abstracts, retrieved 33 articles and ultimately included 15 studies. The period prevalence of paternal prenatal depression in men was 8.5% (95% CI 3.3-20.3%). Moreover, the period prevalence of postpartum depression in men was 9.7% (95% CI 7.4-12.8%) within the first month, 8.6% (95% CI 5.5-13.3%) in postpartum months 1-3, 13.2% (95% CI 11.6-15.0%) in postpartum months 3-6 and 8.2% (95% CI 1.3-38.0%) in postpartum months 6-12. We also found that the prevalence of prenatal depression was significantly lower in men than in women. However, the prevalence of postpartum depression was not significantly different between men and women.

The prevalence of perinatal depression among Japanese men peaked at 3-6 months after birth, and its overall prevalence was approximately 10%. These results were similar to those of an international meta-analysis on perinatal depression. Notably, we found that the prevalence of postpartum depression was as high in men as it was in women. Therefore, it is suggested that healthcare workers should be more watchful for paternal perinatal depression in the postpartum period than in the prenatal period.