Abstract
Paternal Postpartum Depression (PPD) is an understudied phenomenon, particularly in Latin American populations. This cross-sectional, descriptive study aimed to determine the prevalence of PPD among fathers at the Hospital Militar de Especialidades de la Mujer y Neonatología (Mexico) using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). A total of 108 men were recruited through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. The sample had a mean age of 25.3 years, with EPDS scores ≥11 (indicative of depressive symptoms). Results revealed a high prevalence of PPP, associated with factors such as income ≤$12,000 (24%) and unplanned pregnancy (22%). The discussion emphasizes the need to integrate screening into healthcare services to detect PPD and implement multidisciplinary interventions that promote family well-being and paternal engagement. This study underscores the importance of addressing PPD as a public health issue and its implications for child development.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2023). Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico de los Trastornos Mentales: Texto revisado DSM-5-TR (Editorial Panamericana, Ed.). Editorial Panamericana.Belsky, J. (1988). Marital change across the transition to parenthood. Marriage & Family Review. 12 (4): 133-156.
Caparros, R. & Rodríguez, M. (2020). Depresión posparto paterna: visibilidad e influencia en la salud infantil. Clínica y Salud. 31 (3).
Cox, J., Holden, J. & Sagovsky, R. (1987). Detection of postnatal depression: Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150 (6), 782-786. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.150.6.782
Crisol, D. (2021). Paternal Postpartum Depression. Unimed. 3 (2).
Epifanio, M., Genna, V., De Luca, C., Roccella, M. & La Gruta, S. Paternal and Maternal Transition to Parenthood: The Risk of Postpartum Depression and Parenting Stress. Pediatr Rep. 2015; 7 (2).
Ketner, S., Gravestejin, C. & Verschuur, M. (2018). Transition to parentood: it does not get easier the next time. Exploring ways to support well-being among parents with newborns. Journal of Family Social Work. 22(1): 1-18. DOI:10.1080/10522158.2018.1499063
Kim, P., Swain, E. (2009). Sad dads: Paternal Postpartum Depression. Psychiatry of Edgmont. 4 (2), 35-47.
Nelson-Coffey, S. K. y Stewart, D. (2019). Well-being in parenting, Handbook of parenting: Being and becoming a parent (pp. 596-619). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429433214-17
O’Hara, M., McCabe, J. (2013) Postpartum depression: Current status and future directions. Annual Review of Clinical Psuchology, 9,379-407. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185612
Oquendo, M., Lartigue, T., González, I. & Méndez, S. (2008). Validez y seguridad de la Escala de Depresión Perinatal de Edimburgh como prueba de tamiz para detectar depresión perinatal. Perinatol Reproducción Humana. 22 (3) 195-202. https:/inper.mx/descargas/pdf/ValidezyseguridaddelaescaladedepresionperinataldeE.pdf
Paulson, J. & Bazemore, S., Goodman, J. & Leiferman, J. (2016). The course and interrelationship of maternal and paternal perinatal depression. Archives of Women`s Mental Health. 2016: 1-9.
Pérez, F. & Brahm, P. (2017). Depresión posparto en padres ¿Por qué también es importante? Revista chilena de pediatría. 88 (5).
Pinto, T., Samorinha, C., Tendais, I. & Figuereido, B (2020). Depression and paternal adjustment and attiudes during the transition to parenthood. Journal of reproductive and infant psychology. 38 (3): 281-296.
Scarff, J. R. (2019). Postpartum Depression in Men. Innovatios in Clinical Neuroscience, 1(16), 11–14.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Enseñanza e Investigación en Psicología
