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Annals of General Psychiatry
Published in: Annals of General Psychiatry 1/2020

01-12-2020 | Mood Disorders | Review

Prevalence of perinatal depression among Japanese men: a meta-analysis

Authors: Keita Tokumitsu, Norio Sugawara, Kazushi Maruo, Toshihito Suzuki, Norio Yasui-Furukori, Kazutaka Shimoda

Published in: Annals of General Psychiatry | Issue 1/2020

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Abstract

Introduction

Perinatal depression is a widely discussed mental illness that occurs not only in women, but also in men. A previous international meta-analysis of the prevalence of paternal perinatal depression suggested that cross-cultural variables or socioeconomic environment may influence paternal depression. However, it is not clear that these data are general enough to apply to Japanese men, and there are few review articles about perinatal depression among this demographic. The purpose of our study is to provide a reliable estimate of the prevalence of perinatal depression among Japanese men.

Method

We searched two databases, PubMed and ICHUSHI, to identify studies with data on the prevalence of prenatal or postpartum depression among Japanese men. Data were extracted from reports published from January 1994 to June 2018. The period prevalence of paternal perinatal depression among Japanese men was investigated. A subgroup analysis of gender differences in perinatal depression was also performed.

Results

We reviewed 1,379 abstracts, retrieved 33 articles and ultimately included 15 studies. The period prevalence of paternal prenatal depression in men was 8.5% (95% CI 3.3–20.3%). Moreover, the period prevalence of postpartum depression in men was 9.7% (95% CI 7.4–12.8%) within the first month, 8.6% (95% CI 5.5–13.3%) in postpartum months 1–3, 13.2% (95% CI 11.6–15.0%) in postpartum months 3–6 and 8.2% (95% CI 1.3–38.0%) in postpartum months 6–12. We also found that the prevalence of prenatal depression was significantly lower in men than in women. However, the prevalence of postpartum depression was not significantly different between men and women.

Conclusions

The prevalence of perinatal depression among Japanese men peaked at 3–6 months after birth, and its overall prevalence was approximately 10%. These results were similar to those of an international meta-analysis on perinatal depression. Notably, we found that the prevalence of postpartum depression was as high in men as it was in women. Therefore, it is suggested that healthcare workers should be more watchful for paternal perinatal depression in the postpartum period than in the prenatal period.
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Metadata
Title
Prevalence of perinatal depression among Japanese men: a meta-analysis
Authors
Keita Tokumitsu
Norio Sugawara
Kazushi Maruo
Toshihito Suzuki
Norio Yasui-Furukori
Kazutaka Shimoda
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Annals of General Psychiatry / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1744-859X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-020-00316-0

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