Depressed mood in new fathers: associations with parent-infant interaction

In a sample of 37 middle-class families with firstborn 4-month-old infants, 52% of the fathers reported experiencing blues at some point after the birth of the baby. Observed behavior was found to differ between families in which the father reported eight or more days of blues (Group 2) as opposed to no blues (Group 1). Parents in Group 2 addressed fewer vocalizations to their babies. Group 2 fathers showed diminished proximity with their babies while their wives showed heightened proximity. Fathers in Group 2 engaged in less caregiving and touched their babies less than did their wives, while fathers in Group 1 engaged in more of this behavior than did their wives. Mothers and fathers in Group 2 were less likely to focus on the baby over other topics in their conversations with each other than the parents in Group 1. Few differences were found between the two groups on interview questions addressed to the fathers. However, those differences that were found, in addition to Group 2 fathers' descriptions of factors contributing to their blues, pointed to the spouse relationship as an area of concern.