Postpartum Paternal Depression: Its Impact on Family and Child Development

Abstract

The postpartum period is when parents undergo great changes and gain new responsibilities. Factors such as the changes that come with having a baby, not meeting the expectations about parenthood, having a child with a difficult temperament or health problems, or relational problems can be quite challenging in this period. These problems can deeply affect the psychological well-being of the parents. Although studies on depressive symptoms of mothers during pregnancy and postpartum are at an important level, studies aiming to examine the psychological state of fathers for the same period are still limited. However, perceptions that postpartum depression develops due to hormonal changes during pregnancy have been reshaped by the findings that this situation may also develop due to psychosocial factors. Relatedly, the number of studies on postpartum depression experienced by fathers has increased over time. Results of those studies show that fathers' psychological state also influences their parenting and the development of children. Fathers may experience paternal depression due to a lack of social support, economic conditions, relationship dynamics, and changing living conditions in the postpartum period. This situation may cause fathers to avoid parenting duties, spend less time with their children, be unable to cooperate with the mother, and have anger problems or deterioration in the relationship with the mother. The effects of depression on individuals' parenting styles negatively affect child-parent attachment and may cause children to develop emotional and behavioral problems. Therefore, it is very important to examine fathers' psychological state for children's development and the healthy progress of family dynamics. This review aims to address the effect of paternal depression on parenting and child development.

Keywords

• Postpartum period
• paternity
• paternal depression
• child development

Doğum Sonrası Babalık Depresyonu: Aile ve Çocuk Gelişimine Etkisi

Abstract

Doğum sonrası dönem, ebeveynlerin büyük değişimlerden geçtiği ve yeni sorumluluklar kazandığı bir dönemdir. Bebek sahibi olmakla birlikte gelen değişiklikler, ebeveynliğe dair beklentileri karşılayamama, zor mizaçlı ya da sağlık sorunları yaşayan bir çocuk sahibi olma ya da ilişkisel problemler gibi faktörler bu dönemde oldukça zorlayıcı olabilmekte ve ebeveynlerin psikolojik iyi oluşlarını derinden etkileyebilmektedir. Gebelik süreci ve doğum sonrasında annelerin depresif semptomlarına dair araştırmalar önemli bir seviyede olsa da aynı dönem için babaların psikolojik durumunu incelemeyi hedefleyen çalışmalar halen sınırlıdır. Ancak doğum sonrası depresyonun gebelikteki hormonal değişimlere bağlı olarak geliştiğine dair algılar, bu durumun psikososyal faktörlere de bağlı olarak gelişebildiğine yönelik bulgular tarafından yeniden şekillendirilmiş ve alanyazında babaların deneyimlediği doğum sonrası depresyonunu da konu alan çalışmaların sayısı zaman içerisinde artmıştır. Araştırmalar incelendiğinde, babaların psikolojik durumunun da ebeveynlikleri ve çocuklarının gelişimi üzerinde etkili olduğu gözlemlenebilmektedir. Doğum sonrası dönemde sosyal destek eksikliği, ekonomik koşullar, ilişki dinamikleri ve değişen yaşam koşulları gibi faktörlerin de etkisiyle babalar babalık depresyonunu deneyimleyebilmektedir. Bu durum babaların ebeveynliğe dair görevlerden kaçınmasına, çocuklarıyla daha az zaman geçirmesine, anneyle iş birliği yapamamasına, öfke problemlerine ya da anne ile olan ilişkide bozulmaya neden olabilmektedir. Depresyonun bireylerin ebeveynlik stilleri üzerindeki etkileri, çocuk-ebeveyn bağlanmasını olumsuz etkilemekte ve çocukların duygusal ve davranışsal problemler geliştirmesine neden olabilmektedir. Dolayısıyla çocukların gelişimi ve aile dinamiklerinin sağlıklı ilerleyişi için, babaların da psikolojik durumunu incelemek oldukça önemlidir. Bu çalışma ile, babalık depresyonunun ebeveynliğe ve çocukların gelişimine etkisine değinilmesi amaçlanmıştır.

Keywords

• doğum sonrası dönem
• babalık
• babalık depresyonu
• çocuk gelişimi

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