Abstract
Depression in the perinatal period is common in mothers worldwide. Emerging research indicates that fathers are also at risk of developing perinatal depression. However, knowledge regarding biological risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms of perinatal depression is still scarce, particularly in fathers. It has been suggested that the neurotrophin BDNF may play a role in maternal perinatal depression; however, there is currently no data regarding paternal perinatal depression. For this pilot study, 81 expecting parents were recruited and assessed at several time points. We screened for depression using EPDS and MADRS, investigated several psychosocial variables, and took blood samples for BDNF val66met genotyping, epigenetic, and protein analysis. Between pregnancy and 12 months postpartum (pp), we found that 3.7 to 15.7% of fathers screened positive for depression, and 9.6 to 24% of mothers, with at least a twofold increased prevalence in both parents using MADRS compared with EPDS. We also identified several psychosocial factors associated with perinatal depression in both parents. The data revealed a trend that lower BDNF levels correlated with maternal depressive symptoms at 3 months pp. In the fathers, no significant correlations between BDNF and perinatal depression were found. Pregnant women demonstrated lower BDNF methylation and BDNF protein expression compared with men; however, these were found to increase postpartum. Lastly, we identified correlations between depressive symptoms and psychosocial/neurobiological factors. The data suggest that BDNF may play a role in maternal perinatal depression, but not paternal.
Highlights
Perinatal depression is a common disease worldwide and affects approximately 10–15% of mothers (Gavin et al 2005)
We aimed to investigate whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may be a marker of paternal as well as maternal perinatal depression
Perinatal depression prevalence and associated psychosocial risk factors In our baseline visit during pregnancy (T0), we found that 3.7% men and 11.25% women showed elevated depressive symptoms using the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) screening instrument and a cutoff of ≥ 10
Summary
Perinatal depression is a common disease worldwide and affects approximately 10–15% of mothers (Gavin et al 2005). Psychosocial risk factors thought to increase the risk of developing maternal perinatal depression include previous depressive episodes, pregnancy and birth complication, traumatic birth, history of abuse, migration, low marital quality or no partner, low social status, and low social support (Biaggi et al 2016; Anderson et al 2017; Guintivano et al 2018). Several studies investigating the neurobiological pathophysiological mechanisms have implicated genetic risk factors, sex hormones, and stress hormones (hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis) (Meltzer-Brody et al 2018). There has been increased awareness that men could develop mental disorders that are related to their partner’s pregnancy and the birth of a child.
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