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Postpartum Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Nonbirthing Parents in Canada: A Cross-Sectional Study
Justine Dol1, Christine T Chambers, Emily Cameron
1Author Affiliations: IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr Dol, Dr Chambers, and Dr Parker); Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr Chambers); Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr Chambers); Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (Dr Cameron); Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto; Lunenfeld-Tannenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Dr Dennis); and McMaster Midwifery Research Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (Dr Goldberg).
Purpose:
To determine the prevalence of postpartum depression and anxiety symptoms in nonbirthing parents, overall and by sex, gender, and sexual orientation.
Background:
The postpartum period is a vulnerable time for parents. Although the focus of most research is on the birthing parent, evidence of postpartum mental health challenges for nonbirthing parents is lacking.
Methods:
An online cross-sectional study was conducted with nonbirthing parents from across Canada who had an infant <12 months of age. Recruitment occurred through social media and an online survey company. Parents completed questionnaires, including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and General Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Scores >9 and >10 on the EPDS and GAD, respectively, were considered positive for postpartum depression and anxiety symptoms. T-tests were used to determine differences based on sex, gender, and sexual orientation.
Results:
A total of 133 nonbirthing parents participated (54.9% first-time parents, 90.2% fathers). Overall, 56.4% of nonbirthing parents had postpartum depression, 23.3% had postpartum anxiety, and 21.8% had comorbid postpartum anxiety and depression. There were no differences based on sex or gender; however, sexual minority parents had a significantly higher prevalence of both postpartum depression (73.3%) and anxiety symptoms (46.7%) than heterosexual parents (52.5% and 16.8%), respectively.
Discussion:
The postpartum mental health of nonbirthing parents is of critical concern with one in two experiencing symptoms of depression and one in 4 experiencing symptoms of anxiety.
Implication For Practice And Research:
More work is needed to better support nonbirthing parents during their first year postpartum.
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