Perinatal Depressive and Affective Disorders: Assessment, Screening and Treatment—2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Becoming a parent involves profound psychological changes that expose both mothers and fathers to significant mental health challenges. While maternal perinatal depression has been extensively studied, paternal perinatal affective disorders have only recently received focused attention. Emerging research continues to explore the clinical characteristics, risk factors, and prevalence of these disorders, highlighting the complex interplay between maternal and paternal depression and their impact on parenting and child developmental outcomes.

Notably, fathers experience perinatal depression at rates comparable to mothers, albeit with distinct clinical expressions. These findings underscore the urgent need for gender-sensitive assessment tools to accurately identify perinatal distress in both parents, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of screening and intervention strategies. To better address these issues, we propose the terms Paternal Perinatal Affective Disorder (PPAD) and Maternal Perinatal Affective Disorder (MPAD) to reflect the unique clinical presentations of depression and other affective disorders from the prenatal period through the postpartum period. Despite growing recognition of paternal mental health concerns, preventive and therapeutic interventions for fathers remain insufficiently explored. Additionally, the frequent co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive disorders in mothers and fathers during the perinatal period highlights the need for an integrated diagnostic and therapeutic framework that addresses the mental health needs of both parents. A comprehensive approach to perinatal mental health should not only address individual psychopathology but also take into account the interpersonal dynamics that influence family well-being.

This Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences, entitled “Perinatal Depressive and Affective Disorders: Assessment, Screening and Treatment—2nd Edition”, aims to disseminate cutting-edge research and advance a nuanced understanding of these critical issues from individual, dyadic, and family perspectives. We welcome contributions in the form of quantitative and qualitative research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, methodological studies, theoretical perspectives, and policy and practice reviews.

References

Baldoni, F., & Giannotti, M. (2020). Perinatal distress in fathers: toward a gender-based screening of paternal perinatal depressive and affective disorders. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1892.

Baldoni, F., Giannotti, M., Casu, G., Agostini, F., Mandolesi, R., Peverieri, S., ... & Terrone, G. (2022). The Perinatal Assessment of Paternal Affectivity (PAPA): Italian validation of a new tool for the screening of perinatal depression and affective disorders in fathers. Journal of Affective Disorders, 317, 123-130.

Dr. Michele Giannotti
Dr. Giulia Casu
Dr. Franco Baldoni
Dr. Francesca Agostini
Guest Editors

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