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Low paternal postpartum depression buffers the association between maternal prenatal depression and preschoolers'

Cláudia Silva Costa1, Tiago Miguel Pinto2, Tiffany Field3

  • 1Psychology Research Center, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.

Infant Mental Health Journal
|December 29, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Maternal prenatal depression and paternal postnatal depression are linked to preschooler behavior problems. However, low paternal depression postpartum may protect children when mothers experience prenatal depression.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal mental health
  • Child psychology
  • Developmental psychopathology

Background:

  • Perinatal mental health issues in parents impact child development.
  • Understanding the interplay of maternal and paternal mental health is crucial for early childhood mental health etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate associations between parental prenatal and postnatal anxiety and depression symptoms and preschoolers' internalizing and externalizing symptoms.
  • To examine the interplay between maternal and paternal mental health on child outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 115 preschoolers and their parents (N=230).
  • Maternal and paternal anxiety and depression assessed in the first trimester, and at 3 and 30 months postpartum.
  • Preschoolers' internalizing and externalizing symptoms measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at 30 months.
  • Multilevel linear and moderation models were used for analysis.

Main Results:

  • Maternal first-trimester depression, paternal 3-month postpartum depression, and their interaction predicted higher preschoolers' internalizing and externalizing scores at 30 months.
  • Paternal low depression symptoms at 3 months postpartum buffered the negative association between maternal prenatal depression and child outcomes.
  • This highlights a protective role of paternal postnatal mental health.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal and paternal perinatal mental health significantly impact preschooler behavioral outcomes.
  • Paternal postnatal mental health can mitigate risks associated with maternal prenatal depression.
  • Interventions addressing both parents' mental well-being are vital for preventing child mental health problems.

Keywords:
anxiety and depression symptomsinternalizing and externalizing symptomsmaternalpaternalpreschoolers

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