Introduction: Postpartum depression is a sort of depression, which appears between four weeks and 12 months after the childbirth. Risk factors for developing postpartum depression are: presence of postpartum depression in partner, past depressions, lower education level, low income and current traumas (divorce, serious diagnose or grieving over a relative). International studies show that approximately 10 % of new fathers show signs of depression in between three to six months after childbirth. Purpose: The purpose of this research is screening new fathers in Slovenia for postpartum depression and proving that Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale can be used in men also. Methods: We will use the quantitative research method, where we will be researching the number of new fathers who are possibly depressed. For that purpose, we will be using the adapted screening tool called Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. The collection of results was organised with the help from community health nurses at Health centres Ljubljana - Črnuče and Velenje. The questionnaires were being collected between August and December of 2019. Our research was approved by National Medical Ethics Committee Slovenia. Results: Out of 80 distributed questionnaires, we have received 51 answered questionnaires (response rate = 63 %).. In 8 out of 51 men (15,7 %), we had confirmed our suspicion for postpartum depression, which is the most out of the previous researches. In our study, there were only 3,9 % (N=2) of questioned fathers, which have scored 0 points. Our goal was to achieve the Cronbach coefficient alpfa score of 0,7. We have calculated Cronbach coefficient alpha, which was 0,931. This result proves the high reliability of our questionnaire, even for men. The limitation of our study was is the low sample, which means the generalisation of our study is not a possibility. Discussion and conclusion: Mental health of fathers in a very important factor in planning of the family, mental state of his partner and in psychophysical development of the child. We recommend emphasizing the sociodemographic factors for future studies. That would specify the pool of men, which are at greater risk for developing postpartum depression and would also be easier to screen in the future. We are hoping, that in the future, in Slovenia, we will have a standardized screening program for early diagnosing and properly treating postpartum depression in men. Nurses have a very important role in screening men for postpartum depression.
|