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Characteristics of Fathers with Depressive Symptoms

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Abstract

Extensive research shows maternal depression to be associated with poorer child outcomes, and characteristics of these mothers have been described. Recent research describes associations of paternal depressive symptoms and child behavioral and emotional outcomes, but characteristics of these fathers have not been investigated. This study describes characteristics of fathers with depressive symptoms in the USA. Utilizing data from 7,247 fathers and mothers living in households with children aged 5–17 years who participated in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2004–2006, the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 was used to assess parental depressive symptoms, the Short Form-12 was used to examine paternal and maternal physical health, the Columbia Impairment Scale was used to measure child behavioral or emotional problems, and the Children with Special Health Care Needs Screener was used to identify children with special health care needs. In multivariate analyses, poverty (AOR 1.52; 95% CI 1.05–2.22), maternal depressive symptoms (AOR 5.77; 95% CI 4.18–7.95), living with a child with special health care needs (AOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.04–1.94), poor paternal physical health (AOR 3.31; 95% CI 2.50–4.38) and paternal unemployment (AOR 6.49; 95% CI 4.12–10.22) were independently associated with increased rates of paternal depressive symptoms. These are the first data that demonstrate that poverty, paternal physical health problems, having a child with special health care needs, maternal depressive symptoms, and paternal unemployment are independently associated with paternal depressive symptoms, with paternal unemployment associated with the highest rates of such problems.

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Abbreviations

AOR:

Adjusted odds ratio

MEPS:

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

CI:

Confidence interval

CIDI:

Composite International Diagnostic Interview

CIS:

Columbia Impairment Scale

CSHCN:

Children with special health care needs

DSM-IV:

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders IV

HPA:

Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal

MCS:

Mental component score

NHIS:

National Health Interview Survey

PCS:

Physical Component Scale

PHQ-2:

Patient Health Questionnaire-2

PRIME-MD:

Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders

SF-12:

Short-Form 12

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, NBV 8S4-11, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Ying-Hua Liu & Michael Weitzman

  2. Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Michael Weitzman

  3. New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    David G. Rosenthal & Nicole Learned

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  1. David G. Rosenthal
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  2. Nicole Learned
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  4. Michael Weitzman
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Correspondence to Michael Weitzman.

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Rosenthal, D.G., Learned, N., Liu, YH. et al. Characteristics of Fathers with Depressive Symptoms. Matern Child Health J 17, 119–128 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-0955-5

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