Raushan Alibekova1, Jian-Pei Huang2, Tony Szu-Hsien Lee3, Heng-Kien Au4, Yi-Hua Chen5. 1. School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. 2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. 3. Department of Health Promotion and Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan. 4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. 5. School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: yichen@tmu.edu.tw.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Considerable concern persists on tobacco use during perinatal periods. No study has simultaneously investigated the longitudinal association of paternal smoking with maternal and paternal depressive and anxiety symptoms during perinatal periods. METHODS: In this prospective study, 533 couples (pregnant women and their husbands) completed 5 self-report instruments from early pregnancy until 6 months postpartum. Generalized estimating equations were used for the analyses. RESULTS: We found that fathers who smoked in the mother's presence had higher depressive (regression coefficient=1.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3-1.8) and anxiety symptoms (3.0, 95% CI=1.2-4.7) during perinatal periods compared with nonsmoking fathers. Paternal smoking in the mother's presence also increased maternal disturbances, especially for depression during pregnancy (1.2, 95% CI=0.1-2.3) and anxiety during the postpartum period (3.4, 95% CI=0.6-6.3). No significant association was found between paternal smoking but not in the mother's presence and maternal emotional disturbances. Paternal smoking but not in the mother's presence affected only paternal anxiety, especially in the postpartum period (regression coefficient 2.7, 95% CI 0.7-4.7) compared with nonsmokers. LIMITATIONS: Self-report measures were used. The effects of maternal smoking could not be estimated because of the small sample of pregnant women who disclosed their smoking status. CONCLUSIONS: These findings imply a necessity to combine strategies for smoking cessation with interventions for affective disturbances in fathers. We also stress the importance of at least restricting the father's smoking in the presence of the pregnant wife during perinatal periods if smoking cessation is tentatively unattainable.
INTRODUCTION: Considerable concern persists on tobacco use during perinatal periods. No study has simultaneously investigated the longitudinal association of paternal smoking with maternal and paternal depressive and anxiety symptoms during perinatal periods. METHODS: In this prospective study, 533 couples (pregnant women and their husbands) completed 5 self-report instruments from early pregnancy until 6 months postpartum. Generalized estimating equations were used for the analyses. RESULTS: We found that fathers who smoked in the mother's presence had higher depressive (regression coefficient=1.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3-1.8) and anxiety symptoms (3.0, 95% CI=1.2-4.7) during perinatal periods compared with nonsmoking fathers. Paternal smoking in the mother's presence also increased maternal disturbances, especially for depression during pregnancy (1.2, 95% CI=0.1-2.3) and anxiety during the postpartum period (3.4, 95% CI=0.6-6.3). No significant association was found between paternal smoking but not in the mother's presence and maternal emotional disturbances. Paternal smoking but not in the mother's presence affected only paternal anxiety, especially in the postpartum period (regression coefficient 2.7, 95% CI 0.7-4.7) compared with nonsmokers. LIMITATIONS: Self-report measures were used. The effects of maternal smoking could not be estimated because of the small sample of pregnant women who disclosed their smoking status. CONCLUSIONS: These findings imply a necessity to combine strategies for smoking cessation with interventions for affective disturbances in fathers. We also stress the importance of at least restricting the father's smoking in the presence of the pregnant wife during perinatal periods if smoking cessation is tentatively unattainable.