Partner report of paternal depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-Partner.
Similar to maternal depression, paternal depression may have adverse effects on the family environment (e.g., partner mental health, child behavior). Detection of paternal depression is rare because the maternal-child health care system usually only screens for maternal depression. The scarcity of paternal depression screening and detection is due to fathers not usually being involved in the maternal-child health care system and, therefore, unavailable for depression screening. The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-Partner Version (EPDS-P) in detecting paternal depression through maternal report. The EPDS-P, rated by the mother, was found to be a reliable and valid measure of paternal depression when compared to other well-validated measures of depression. The EPDS-P has clinical utility in the maternal-child health care system by making it possible to screen for paternal depression without the father being present. Proxy screening for paternal depression can be beneficial for early detection and treatment of paternal depression both in the perinatal period and through a child's early life. Detection and treatment of paternal depression reduces the risk of long-term depression in fathers.
Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. sheehan.fisher@gmail.com
Sheehan D
SD
Fisher
Robin
R
Kopelman
Michael W
MW
O'Hara
D019540:Area Under Curve; D003863:Depression; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires