Kathrine Bang Madsen1, Merete Lund Mægbæk2, Nete Stubkjær Thomsen2, Xiaoqin Liu2, Malin Eberhard-Gran3, Alkistis Skalkidou4, Veerle Bergink5, Trine Munk-Olsen2. 1. National Centre for Register-based Research, Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Fuglesangs Allé 26, Building R, Aarhus 8210, Denmark; iPSYCH, the Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Denmark. Electronic address: kathrine.bang@econ.au.dk. 2. National Centre for Register-based Research, Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Fuglesangs Allé 26, Building R, Aarhus 8210, Denmark; iPSYCH, the Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Denmark. 3. Norwegian Research Centre for Women's Health, Women and Children's Division, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. 4. Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Sweden. 5. Department of Psychiatry and Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Rotterdam, Erasmus MC, the Netherlands.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: For women, the perinatal period confers an increased risk of severe psychiatric disorders, but similar evidence for fathers is lacking. We examined rates of first-time and recurrent psychiatric disorders in men before and after becoming fathers. METHODS: A descriptive prospective study design was applied using information from the Danish National registers. Perinatal psychiatric episodes were assessed as incidence of first-time and prevalence (including recurrence) of recorded in- or outpatient admissions for any mental disorder and redeemed prescriptions for psychotropic medication in fathers to children born from January 1, 1998 until December 31, 2015. RESULTS: We identified 929,415 births and 543,555 unique fathers. Incidence and prevalence proportions for paternal psychiatric in- and outpatient episodes showed an increasing trend over the perinatal period and were marginally higher postpartum compared to pregnancy; e.g., median incidence proportion for inpatient treatment during pregnancy was 0.07 (95% CI: 0.04; 0.07) and 0.10 (95% CI: 0.08; 0.11) postpartum per 1000 births. No difference between the periods was found for incidence of prescriptions for psychotropic medication. Psychiatric disorders in expecting and new fathers were mainly treated in primary care with cumulative incidence of prescriptions for psychotropic medication of 14.56 per 1000 births during the first year of fatherhood. LIMITATIONS: We only capture fathers who actively sought and received treatment, and we consequently underestimate milder psychiatric episodes in expecting and new fathers. CONCLUSION: Becoming a father did not appear to trigger a substantially increased risk of severe psychiatric disorders, as it has been observed for new mothers.
BACKGROUND: For women, the perinatal period confers an increased risk of severe psychiatric disorders, but similar evidence for fathers is lacking. We examined rates of first-time and recurrent psychiatric disorders in men before and after becoming fathers. METHODS: A descriptive prospective study design was applied using information from the Danish National registers. Perinatal psychiatric episodes were assessed as incidence of first-time and prevalence (including recurrence) of recorded in- or outpatient admissions for any mental disorder and redeemed prescriptions for psychotropic medication in fathers to children born from January 1, 1998 until December 31, 2015. RESULTS: We identified 929,415 births and 543,555 unique fathers. Incidence and prevalence proportions for paternal psychiatric in- and outpatient episodes showed an increasing trend over the perinatal period and were marginally higher postpartum compared to pregnancy; e.g., median incidence proportion for inpatient treatment during pregnancy was 0.07 (95% CI: 0.04; 0.07) and 0.10 (95% CI: 0.08; 0.11) postpartum per 1000 births. No difference between the periods was found for incidence of prescriptions for psychotropic medication. Psychiatric disorders in expecting and new fathers were mainly treated in primary care with cumulative incidence of prescriptions for psychotropic medication of 14.56 per 1000 births during the first year of fatherhood. LIMITATIONS: We only capture fathers who actively sought and received treatment, and we consequently underestimate milder psychiatric episodes in expecting and new fathers. CONCLUSION: Becoming a father did not appear to trigger a substantially increased risk of severe psychiatric disorders, as it has been observed for new mothers.
Authors: Benedicte Marie Johannsen; Janne Tidselbak Larsen; Thomas Munk Laursen; Karyn Ayre; Louise M Howard; Samantha Meltzer-Brody; Bodil Hammer Bech; Trine Munk-Olsen Journal: Psychol Med Date: 2019-07-12 Impact factor: 7.723
Authors: Olli Kiviruusu; Johanna T Pietikäinen; Anneli Kylliäinen; Pirjo Pölkki; Outi Saarenpää-Heikkilä; Mauri Marttunen; Tiina Paunio; E Juulia Paavonen Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2019-09-10 Impact factor: 4.839