Postpartum moods in men and women

Twenty-one married couples, recruited from childbirth classes (mean age 29.6 years), were administered questionnaires measuring 20 different moods during the third trimester of pregnancy (prepartum period), during the postpartum period, and at 6 months after birth (follow-up period). In each questionnaire period individual questionnaires were filled out daily by both the mother and father for 10 consecutive days. The results indicated that the postpartum period, compared with the prepartum and follow-up periods, is an emotionally unique time but not a period marked by depression. The moods that were rated as being experienced more strongly by men and women during the postpartum period were associated with anxiety and concern for one's ability to cope such as "nervousness," "worried," "helpless," and "anxious" or positive emotions such as "enthusiastic" and "happy." It is concluded that men and women in this sample tend to experience the postpartum period in an emotionally similar way.