542 - Mental Health as a Family Experience: Associations of Paternal Characteristics on Maternal Perinatal Depressive Symptoms in a Matched Sample

Poster Number: 542
Publication Number: 542.423

Clarissa D. Simon, Lurie Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL, United States; Anne Bendelow, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; J Michael Bryan, Georgia Department of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States; Craig Garfield, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Evanston, IL, United States

Background: Fathers serve integral roles in supporting family wellbeing and have been noted to contribute positively and negatively to maternal mental health and wellbeing. Combined dyadic data focusing on maternal mental health during the perinatal period is limited.

Objective: Using two parallel surveillance systems, this study compares maternal and paternal perinatal survey responses to assess maternal depressive symptoms by paternal characteristics.

Design/Methods: Data was combined from two surveys conducted in 2018-2019 with representative birth cohort samples of matched parents in Georgia: Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a site-specific, population-based surveillance system for mothers with a recent live birth, and Georgia PRAMS for Dads, a new public health surveillance system for fathers of a recent live birth

Fathers who responded to the PRAMS for Dads survey were those for whom infant’s mother was sampled in PRAMS 3-6 months after an infant’s birth. Cross-sectional, self-reported survey data were weighted to produce estimates to be representative of married or unmarried Georgia fathers with a completed paternity acknowledgment form. We evaluated which paternal characteristics were associated with maternal depressive symptoms from the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) using chi-squared testing and weighted prevalence estimates.

Results: Of 266 fathers who completed the PRAMS for Dads survey, 243 (91%) surveys could be paired with completed PRAMS surveys for mothers. Postpartum depressive symptoms were reported by 31(16%) of mothers and 27 (11%) of fathers. Two-thirds (66%) of dyads were married, 10% had a preterm infant ( < 37 weeks), and 7% had a low birthweight infant ( < 2500 grams).

Maternal depressive symptoms were higher among dyads who were unmarried (28%) vs. married (10%), where father did not have a primary care provider (PCP) (23%) vs. fathers who had a PCP (8%), and where father did not have a recent doctor visit (24%) with fathers who did (10%). Paternal depressive symptoms did not differ by maternal depressive symptoms.Conclusion(s): This study supports conceptualizing maternal perinatal wellbeing as a family event linked to family functioning through paternal and family-level factors. Clinicians caring for infants should identify opportunities within healthcare visits to support mental health given the associations between maternal and paternal demographics and mental health.