Paternal postpartum depression and its associated factors among partners of postpartum women at Dessie Town, Northeast Ethiopia, 2023: a community-based cross-sectional study

Background Paternal postpartum depression among fathers of newborns is a new concept in Ethiopia. It is an emerging public health concern because it produces insidious effects on the well-being of newborns as well as on the whole family. However, there is limited evidence on the prevalence of paternal postpartum depression and its associated factors among partners of postpartum women in Ethiopia.Design A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted.Setting This study was conducted in Dessie town, Amhara Regional State, Northeast Ethiopia.Participants 634 partners of postpartum women participated in the study between 10 January and 10 February 2023. The study included fathers whose spouses had given birth in the last 12 months and who had been of the randomly selected kebeles for at least 6 months. Fathers aged <18 years at the time of data collection were excluded from the study. Data were collected through the structured and pretested Amharic questionnaire through face-to-face interviews.Primary and secondary outcome measures A standardised and validated depression-screening instrument (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) was used to assess paternal postpartum depression. Variables with a P value<0.25 in the bivariable analyses were used as the cut point for eligibility in the multivariable binary logistic regression model. Finally, statistically significant associated factors or secondary outcomes were declared at a p value<0.05 and were reserved in the final model with 95% CI.Results 610 fathers were interviewed, with a response rate of 96.2%, and the prevalence of paternal postpartum depression was 19% (95% CI 16.0 to 22.3). This study showed that not being comfortable with income (adjusted OR (AOR)=2.32 (95% CI 1.16 to 4.66)], substance use (AOR=2.48 (95% CI 1.22 to 5.05)), prior parenting experience (AOR=1.89 (95% CI 1.02 to 3.50)), unplanned pregnancy (AOR=2.81 (95% CI 1.50 to 5.25)) and infant sleep problems (AOR=4.59 (95% CI 1.80 to 7.18)) were significantly associated with paternal depression.Conclusion and recommendations This study revealed that nearly one-fifth of fathers had paternal depression. Factors significantly associated with PPD were not being comfortable with family income, substance use, experience of childbirth, unplanned pregnancy and infant sleeping problems. This suggests the need to provide health education to decrease substance use and counselling on the utilisation of family planning to minimise unplanned pregnancy and support offered to multiparous fathers.