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Impaired bonding with the infant is associated with maternal postpartum depression but has not been investigated extensively in fathers. The primary study aim was to evaluate associations between maternal and paternal depressive symptoms and impaired bonding with their infant. A secondary aim was to determine the associations between parents’ marital problems and impaired bonding with the infant. The study is part of a population-based cohort project (UPPSAT) in Uppsala, Sweden. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum and the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire at 6 months postpartum were completed by 727 couples. The prevalence of impaired bonding was highest among couples in which both spouses had depressive symptoms. Impaired bonding was associated with higher EPDS scores in both mothers and fathers, as well as with experiencing a deteriorated marital relationship. The association between maternal and paternal impaired bonding and the mothers’ and fathers’ EPDS scores remained significant even after adjustment for relevant confounding factors. Depressive symptoms at 6 weeks postpartum are associated with impaired bonding with the infant at 6 months postpartum for both mothers and fathers. It is critical to screen for and prevent depressive symptoms in both parents during early parenthood.

Aims: To determine whether there is an association between dyadic consensus, depressive symptoms, and parental stress during early parenthood and marital separation 6–8 years after childbirth among couples in Sweden. Methods: At baseline, 393 couples were included. The couples answered three questionnaires including: dyadic consensus at one week post-partum, depressive symptoms at three months post-partum, and parental stress at 18 months post-partum. The parents’ addresses were followed up after 6-8 years to study the marital separation rate. Results: Six to eight years after childbirth, 20% of the couples were separated. Separation was associated with less dyadic consensus (mothers p < 0.001, fathers p < 0.001), depressive symptoms (mothers p = 0.022, fathers p = 0.041), and parental stress (mothers p = 0.002, fathers p = 0.040). The hazard ratio (HR) for marital separation was related to dyadic consensus for fathers (HR, 0.51; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.28--0.92), depressive symptoms for mothers (HR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.01--2.84) and fathers (HR 1.92; 95% CI, 1.12--3.28), and parental stress for mothers (HR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.14--4.07). Conclusions: Understanding how dyadic consensus, depressive symptoms, and parental stress are associated with marital separation is important for health professionals and could be useful in developing interventions to provide parents with adequate support during pregnancy and early parenthood. This knowledge is also important for the public. Parents should get support in pregnancy and while bringing up children, which may help prevent marital separation and optimize conditions for the children. Key Words: Depressive symptoms, Dyadic consensus, Marital separation, Parental stress, Parenthood

Background Parental stress affects parenting behaviour and the quality of dyadic parent–child interactions. Mothers generally show higher parental stress than fathers. Aims Our aims were to assess the perceived level of parental stress in early parenthood and examine the differences between mothers and fathers within couples in relation to their levels of education, parental experience, existence of a parental role model and sense of coherence. Methods In total, 307 mothers and 301 fathers of 18-month-old children answered the Swedish Parenthood Stress Questionnaire (SPSQ); and 318 mothers and 311 fathers answered the Sense of Coherence (SOC-3) scale; 283 couples answered both the SPSQ and SOC-3. Results Mothers perceived higher levels of stress than fathers in the sub-areas incompetence (p < 0.001), role restriction (p < 0.001), spouse relationship problems (p = 0.004) and health problems (p = 0.027), and in total (p = 0.001). In contrast, fathers perceived higher stress than mothers in the sub-area social isolation (p < 0.001). When the data were stratified with respect to education, parental experience, existence of a parental role model and sense of coherence, significant results were observed in some of these sub-areas. Conclusions Mothers and fathers experience stress in different areas during their early parenthood. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the differences in stress that exist between mothers and fathers, so that parents can be adequately prepared for parenthood and avoid parental stress.