Babies Worldwide

A recent British study found that around three per cent of new fathers are prone to PND, particularly if their partner or wife is depressed.

In families where one of the parents already has a child or children from a previous relationship, the rate of PND in fathers rises to around seven per cent.
Other risk factors for PND in fathers include:

• Older age

• First-time parent

• Small circle of friends

• Limited social interaction and support

• Limited education

• Concurrent stressful life events

• Quality of the relationship with wife or partner.
Self-help for the father

As a new father, you need to look after your own physical and emotional wellbeing. Suggestions
include:

• Make sure you have some time to yourself, apart from work and family.

• Try to keep up important hobbies and interests as much as possible.

• Talk to close friends about your feelings and concerns.

Tags: Postnatal Depression

This entry was posted on Monday, August 10th, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Womens Issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.