Trajectories of mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms from pregnancy to 24 months postpartum.

This study investigated trajectories of mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms from prenatal to 24 months postpartum. Prenatal correlates of the trajectories were also examined. Mothers (N = 1670) and fathers (N = 1604) from the Finnish CHILD-SLEEP birth cohort, reported depressive symptoms at 32nd pregnancy week and 3, 8, and 24 months postpartum using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D, 10-item). Profile analysis was used to group participants according to their longitudinal patterns of depressive symptoms. Prenatal predictors (sociodemographic, health, substance use, sleep, and stress related factors, family atmosphere) of depressive symptom trajectories as well as association between parents' trajectories were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. For both mothers and fathers, a solution with three stable depressive symptom trajectories (low: 63.1% mothers and 74.9% fathers; moderate: 28.1% and 22.6%; high: 8.8% and 2.6%) was considered the best fitting and most informative. Insomnia, earlier depression, anxiousness, stressfulness, and poor family atmosphere predicted the moderate and high (compared to low) depressive symptom trajectories among both mothers and fathers in multivariate analyses. Mother's higher depressive symptom trajectory was significantly associated with father's higher symptom trajectory (p < 0.001). Number of cases in the high depressive symptom trajectory group among fathers was low. Maternal and paternal depressive symptom trajectories from prenatal period up to two years postpartum seem stable, indicating the chronic nature of perinatal depressive symptoms. Mothers' and fathers' trajectories are associated with each other and their strongest predictors are common to both.

Kiviruusu O ，Pietikäinen JT ，Kylliäinen A ，Pölkki P ，Saarenpää-Heikkilä O ，Marttunen M ，Paunio T ，Paavonen EJ ... -  《-》

Initiation and exclusivity of breastfeeding: association with mothers' and fathers' prenatal and postnatal depression and marital distress.

This study explored the effects of mothers' and fathers' prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms and marital distress on breastfeeding initiation and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) duration. This was a prospective follow-up of a cohort sample of 873 families participating to an intensive follow-up cohort of longitudinal Steps to the Healthy Development and Well-being of Children study (The STEPS study) in Southwestern Finland. The depressive symptoms were evaluated by The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale and marital distress by the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale at 20th gestational week and at 4 months postpartum. EBF was self-reported real-time and defined as an infant receiving no food or drink other than mother's breast milk since birth, except occasionally water. Neither parents' prenatal depressive symptoms predicted breastfeeding initiation or EBF duration. The mothers' prenatal depressive symptoms, in turn, predicted their postnatal depressive symptoms, which were associated with shorter duration of EBF. The EBF duration was shortest amongst the mothers who had depressive symptoms both pre- and postnatally compared to mothers who had depressive symptoms only in either time point alone (M = 1.54, 2.06 and 2.04 months, respectively). Higher prenatal maternal marital distress was associated with longer EBF duration. The findings suggest that the continuity of maternal depressive symptoms throughout the perinatal period has adverse effect on EBF duration. Identification and treatment of mothers' depressive symptoms already during the prenatal period may improve breastfeeding practices. The finding of mothers' marital distress having positive impact on breastfeeding practices requires further investigation.

Ahlqvist-Björkroth S ，Vaarno J ，Junttila N ，Pajulo M ，Räihä H ，Niinikoski H ，Lagström H ... -  《-》

Couples' relationship affects mothers' and fathers' anxiety and depression trajectories over the transition to parenthood.

The association between the couple relationship and the mothers' and fathers' psychological adjustment to the transition to parenthood has been examined in the literature. However, the direction of effects between these variables has not been extensively explored. This study aimed to assess the direction of effects between mothers' and fathers' positive and negative interactions and anxiety and depression symptoms trajectories over the transition to parenthood. A sample of 129 couples (N = 258) completed self-report measures of positive and negative interactions, anxiety and depression symptoms at each trimester of pregnancy, at childbirth, and at 3- and 30-months postpartum. Dyadic growth curve models were performed using multilevel modeling. Whereas anxiety and depression showed no moderation effect on positive and negative interactions over time, negative interaction moderated depression from 3- to 30-months postpartum. Mothers and fathers with high negative interaction scores experienced a steeper increase in depression from 3- to 30-months postpartum. Additionally, gender moderated the effect of positive interaction on anxiety from 3- to 30-months postpartum. Fathers with low positive interaction scores experienced an increase in anxiety, whereas fathers with high positive interaction scores and mothers with high or low positive interaction scores did not experience changes in anxiety from 3- to 30-months postpartum. Despite the longitudinal aspect of the models, a possible causal relationship need to be taken with caution. Our results suggest that mothers' and fathers' positive and negative interactions affect their anxiety and depression symptoms trajectories: negative interaction raises mothers' and fathers' depression symptoms and positive interaction prevents the increase of fathers' anxiety symptoms over the postpartum period.

Figueiredo B ，Canário C ，Tendais I ，Pinto TM ，Kenny DA ，Field T ... -  《-》

Associations between maternal and paternal depressive symptoms and early child behavior problems: Testing a mutually adjusted prospective longitudinal model.

While there is substantial empirical work on maternal depression, less is known about how mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms compare in their association with child behavior problems in early childhood. In particular, few studies have examined unique relationships in the postpartum period by controlling for the other parent, or looked at longitudinal change in either parent's depressive symptoms across the first living years as a predictor of child problems. We examined depressive symptoms in parents at 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months following childbirth, and child behavior problems at 48 months. Linear growth curve analysis was used to model parents' initial levels and changes in symptoms across time and their associations with child outcomes. Mothers' depressive symptoms at 6 months predicted behavior problems at 48 months for all syndrome scales, while fathers' did not. Estimates for mothers' symptoms were significantly stronger on all subscales. Change in fathers' depressive symptoms over time was a significantly larger predictor of child aggressive behavior than corresponding change in mothers'. No interaction effects between parents' symptoms on behavior problems appeared, and few child gender differences. Child behavior was assessed once precluding tests for bidirectional effects. We only looked at linear change in parental symptoms. Mothers' postpartum depressive symptoms are a stronger predictor for early child behavior problems than fathers'. Change in fathers' depressive symptoms across this developmental period was uniquely and strongly associated with child aggressive problems, and should therefore be addressed in future research and clinical practice.

Narayanan MK ，Nærde A 《-》

The courses of maternal and paternal depressive and anxiety symptoms during the prenatal period in the FinnBrain Birth Cohort study.

Korja R ，Nolvi S ，Kataja EL ，Scheinin N ，Junttila N ，Lahtinen H ，Saarni S ，Karlsson L ，Karlsson H ... -  《-》