From the Journals

Fathers and mothers report similar rates of depression at well-child visit


 

FROM JAMA PEDIATRICS

Prevalence of depression in fathers was similar to that of mothers screened at well-child visits, according to a research letter published in JAMA Pediatrics.

An analysis of data obtained from the Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation (CHICA) pediatric health surveillance system found that 4.4% of fathers who attended the well-child visit and completed a prescreening form scored positive for depression, comparable with the rate in mothers (5%). Overall, fathers composed 11.7% of parents who screened positive for depression, reported Erika R. Cheng, PhD, of Indiana University, Indianapolis, and her colleagues.

Dr. Cheng and her colleagues estimated prevalence of paternal depression using CHICA data from parents of children aged 15 months and younger from five community health centers in Indianapolis between August 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017. CHICA is a 20-question prescreen of pediatric health conditions based on the patient’s existing data.

Maternal postpartum depression was assessed using a modified version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, administered every 90 days during the child’s first 15 months of life, Dr. Cheng and her colleagues wrote.

Fathers were present at 30.8% of well-child visits (2,946 of 9,572) and completed the prescreening at 806 visits (8.4% of total visits). A total of 36 (4.4%) fathers screened positive for depression, compared with 273 (5%) mothers. However, since CHICA assesses depression for only one parent, some cases of paternal depression may have been missed, the investigators added.

“Pediatric clinics are thus promising settings in which to address depression in both parents as part of a family-centered approach to care,” Dr. Cheng and her coauthors concluded. “Addressing these gaps could improve detection and treatment rates of postnatal depression in both mothers and fathers.”

Two of the authors coinvented the CHICA system, and one is a co-owner of Digital Health Solutions, which licensed the system. No other disclosures were reported.

SOURCE: Cheng ER et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2018 Jul 23. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.1505.

Recommended Reading

Suicides up 30%; risk factors go beyond diagnosed disorders
MDedge Pediatrics
Is the suicide story fake – or just misleading?
MDedge Pediatrics
Is the rise of suicide a medical or societal issue?
MDedge Pediatrics
Dialectical behavior therapy reduces suicide attempts in adolescents
MDedge Pediatrics
U.S. immigration policy: What harms will persist?
MDedge Pediatrics
Buprenorphine endangers lives and health of children
MDedge Pediatrics
Family separations could lead to irreversible health outcomes
MDedge Pediatrics
Family separations and the intergenerational transmission of trauma
MDedge Pediatrics
Technology use by parents may worsen children’s behavior
MDedge Pediatrics
Puerto Rico after Maria: Trauma team returns
MDedge Pediatrics