Childbirth Can Also Make Men Blue for Years
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monkeybusinessimages/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) — Instances of postpartum depression among mothers are well documented but studying the mental state of men who become first-time fathers hasn’t been as extensive.
However, new research seems to suggest that men too can feel depression after the birth of a child, particularly if they are in their 20s and live with their kids.
In fact, pediatric expert Dr. Craig Garfield at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine says that depression symptoms can last up until kindergarten.
Garfield conducted his study by examining 10,600 young men, about a third of whom became fathers from the ages of 24 to 32. Of the fathers who lived at home, depression scores rose 68 percent during the child’s first five years.
While that certainly sounds gloomy for new dads, Garfield cautions that they’re in no greater danger of falling into clinical depression than non-fathers. Furthermore, no cause-and-effect relationship was established for depressive symptoms. The doctor only found an association, which might result from men feeling a strain on their finances and/or marriage.
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