Spouses and partners of new mothers may experience adverse mental health issues during the postnatal period. Paternal postpartum depression (PPD) can variably impact the recovery rate of the mother and relationship with the newborn. Depression screenings are conducted by obstetricians in their patients during the 6-week postpartum visit and studies show that mothers feel more supported during the postpartum time when the spouse is physically and emotionally present. However, multiple research studies also indicate that spousal postpartum depression is often not evaluated by general physicians and therefore goes undetected and untreated. For instance, there are no formal depression screening for fathers/spouses when their partners have just given birth. Paternal postpartum depression is a research gap that warrants thorough evaluation since the mental health of the father/spouse will strongly influence parenting behaviors and family functioning during that sensitive period. Maternal postpartum depression recovery is related to PPD. To our knowledge, there has been no published study investigating potential changes in the mental health of medical students who have either gone through pregnancy or are spouses to a pregnant partner. To address this aspect of PPD, we are assessing the potential relationships between fathers/spouses experiencing a depressive disorder and the mothers/birth-givers sense of support. Our control groups are medical student postpartum couples in which the father/spouse does not experience a depressive disorder and a control cohort of students who do not have children.

Through this investigation, we hope to disseminate new data that will enhance the identification of PPD’s role as a stress obstacle that medical students and their spouses face. This data can be used to promote spouse/paternal assistance for PPD so that they may function as supportive partners for their spouse and assist with the postpartum recovery.