New fathers get a mental health reprieve, then depression quietly catches up
STUDY: Xiang N et al, JAMA Netw Open 2026;9(3):
STUDY TYPE: Cohort study
FUNDING: Karolinska Institutet, Swedish Research Council, European Research Council
Background
Mental health screening is routine for new mothers but largely absent for fathers. When fathers get depressed, it raises the risk of depression for the whole family. This study tells us more about that risk, and the timing.
The Study
- Over 1 million fathers in Sweden, covering nearly 2 million births from 2003 to 2021.
- Psychiatric diagnoses tracked from one year before pregnancy through one year after birth using national health registers.
- Rates of depression before conception served as the baseline for comparison.
Results
New psychiatric diagnoses fell during pregnancy, reaching their lowest point near the due date, then gradually climbed after birth. By late in the first postpartum year, rates returned to preconception levels for most disorders.
Depression and stress-related diagnoses, however, rose about 30% above preconception rates by months 10 to 12 post-birth. Anxiety, alcohol use, and drug use disorders followed the same general dip-and-recovery pattern without exceeding baseline. Low education predicted worse outcome across the timeline.
Rates of bipolar disorder, psychosis, and ADHD stayed flat throughout.
Practice Implications
Earlier research found a high risk of new bipolar episodes in new fathers, possibly due to sleep disruption.
For depression, the risk in women peaks in the first 2-6 weeks after childbirth, but is elevated throughout the first year. Fathers have a different pattern, peaking later.
— Chris Aiken, MD
Director, Psych Partners
Editor in Chief, Carlat Psychiatry Report
