Association Between Postpartum Depression and Personality Traits Among Japanese Postpartum Mothers and Fathers

Background/Objectives: Although numerous investigations have been conducted on postpartum depression, studies on the association between postpartum depression and personality traits of mothers and fathers are lacking. This study aimed to examine the association between postpartum depression and the Big Five personality models among Japanese mothers and fathers at one-month health check-ups. Methods: The participants were 82 couples, and they responded to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Japanese version of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory, and the Quality of Marriage Index (QMI). We examined the correlations among variables and analyzed the data using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: Maternal neuroticism was significantly associated with maternal depression (β = 0.50, p < 0.001), and maternal extraversion was significantly associated with paternal depression (β = -0.64, p < 0.001). In addition, we found that maternal postpartum depression was associated with maternal marital satisfaction (r = -0.29, p = 0.037); however, this association disappeared in SEM. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that health practitioners should pay attention to depression and personality traits in both postpartum mothers and fathers. Moreover, we should consider the different associations between depression and personality in parents when initiating interventions.