Depressão paterna no período gestacional em uma maternidade pública do Rio de Janeiro,Brasil

Abstract

aternal depression tends to be common during pregnancy and can affect family and child development. Recognizing paternal depression is critical to increasing support for expectant fathers during pregnancy and may improve outcomes for the family and the infant. Using a cross-sectional design, this study investigates the prevalence of prenatal paternal depression among expectant fathers and the relationship of that depression with sociodemographic data. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were used to evaluate 79 expectant fathers as they accompanied their partners to prenatal care services at Maternidade Escola of UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The majority of the men in this sample were black, employed and had at least a high school education. 15.9% of expectant fathers showed symptoms of depression by scoring above the cutoff point on one of the two instruments. Depressive symptoms were better identified by BDI (n=11) than EPDS (n=4). Thus, BDI showed higher sensitivity to depressive symptoms than EPDS. A limitation of the study is the small sample size, which limits the generalization of findings. However, our findings suggest that it is important considering the paternal depression during pregnancy and its potential impact on the family and the infants. Results indicate the importance of including fathers in health assessments at prenatal care services in order to screen for paternal depression. Failure to screen paternal depression can have negative impact on maternal pregnancy and child's development.