Fathers May Face Higher Depression Risk Around Baby’s First Year, Study Finds

Fathers in Sweden are less likely to receive psychiatric diagnoses during their partner’s pregnancy and in the first months after their child is born. However, that trend shifts over time. A new study published in JAMA Network Open found that diagnoses of depression and stress-related disorders increase around a year after childbirth.

The research was led by scientists at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden in collaboration with Sichuan University in China.

“The transition to fatherhood often involves both positive experiences and a range of new stresses,” said Jing Zhou, a PhD student at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and co-first author of the study. “Many cherish the intimate moments with their child, while at the same time the relationship with their partner may be affected and sleep quality may deteriorate, which can contribute to an increased risk of mental ill-health.”

Study Followed More Than 1 Million Fathers

Researchers analyzed national register data on more than one million fathers whose children were born in Sweden between 2003 and 2021. They tracked new psychiatric diagnoses from one year before pregnancy through the child’s first year of life.

Depression and Stress Rise After the First Year

The study found that psychiatric diagnoses were less common during pregnancy and the early months after birth compared with the year before the pregnancy. By the child’s first birthday, diagnoses related to anxiety and substance use had returned to pre-pregnancy levels.

However, depression and stress-related disorders showed a clear increase. These diagnoses rose by more than 30% compared with the period before pregnancy.

“The delayed increase in depression was unexpected and underscores the need to pay attention to warning signs of mental ill-health in fathers long after the birth of their child,” said Donghao Lu, a senior lecturer and associate professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and the study’s corresponding author.

Why Timing Matters for Support

The researchers noted that the findings reflect clinical diagnoses, which means fathers who did not seek medical care would not be captured in the data. Even so, the results suggest there may be a particularly vulnerable period for fathers later in the first year of parenthood.

“By identifying periods of increased vulnerability, healthcare providers and other stakeholders can more easily offer support,” Zhou said. “Postnatal depression is often discussed for new mothers, but fathers’ well-being is also important, both for themselves and for the whole family.”

The study also involved Uppsala University in Sweden. It was funded by Karolinska Institutet’s strategic research area in epidemiology and biostatistics, the Swedish Research Council, and the European Research Council. The researchers reported no conflicts of interest.