Psychiatric Disorders Among Fathers in Sweden Before, During, and After Partner Pregnancy

What are the incidence patterns of paternal psychiatric disorders before, during, and after a partner’s pregnancy?In this cohort study of 1 096 198 fathers in Sweden, incidence rates of any diagnosed psychiatric disorder declined during pregnancy and early post partum compared with before conception and then returned to preconception levels later. Incidence rate ratios of anxiety, alcohol use, and drug use disorders followed a similar pattern, whereas those of depression and stress-related disorders increased by more than 30% toward the end of the first postpartum year.These findings suggest that fatherhood may be associated with a temporary reduction in psychiatric disorder diagnoses followed by increased vulnerability later post partum, highlighting the need for sustained paternal mental health surveillance, particularly for depression and stress-related disorders.

Corresponding Authors: Jin Huang, MD, PhD, Department of Urology, Health Data Science Laboratory, Innovation Institute for Integration of Medicine and Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China (michael_huangjin@163.com); Donghao Lu, MD, PhD, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Nobels väg 13, Stockholm 17177, Sweden (donghao.lu@ki.se).

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