Depressive patients are less likely to have children
Summary: Men with depression are 33 percent less likely to have children, and depressed women are 15 percent less likely to have children than their non-depressed peers. In addition, women are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression during their childbearing years.
Source: university of Helsinki
Women have the highest risk of depression during their childbearing years, according to a recent study published in a prestigious journal. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecologydepression is indeed associated with a lower likelihood of having children in men and women.
In a study of more than 1.4 million participants, the connections between depression and the probability of having children, the number of children and the age at first birth were investigated on the basis of unique Finnish register data for all men and women born in Finland. 1960 and 1980.
“One of the most important findings was that depression was associated with a lower likelihood of having children and a lower number of children for men and women. Depression was also associated with a slightly younger age at first birth,” says lead researcher Kateryna Golovina from Helsinki University.
Men with even mild depression are less likely to have children
Men diagnosed with depression were 33% less likely to have a child than men without depression; women diagnosed with depression were 15% less likely to have a child than women without depression.
An important observation was that the severity of depression was related to the probability of having children: in men, even mild depression was associated with a lower probability of having children, while in women the connection was only found with severe depression.
Socioeconomic differences between depression and the likelihood of having children
The study further investigated whether there were educational differences between depression and the likelihood of having children.
“Depression in men and women with university and higher education was associated with a lower likelihood of having children and having fewer children. In men with primary education, no associations were observed, while in women, depression was associated with a higher probability of having children,” says Kateryna Golovina.
Early prevention and timely treatment of depression are important
The findings have clinical implications, suggesting that depression is one of the factors influencing the likelihood of having children, which is why early prevention and timely treatment of depression are crucial. For example, timely screening for depression can be implemented by increasing the availability of mental health professionals, or it can be done by obstetrician-gynecologists and women’s health professionals.
In men, the severity of depression must be taken into account, as even milder depression can have more negative health and behavioral effects than in women.
“All in all, our results provide a new motivation to offer accessible mental health services to young people and to implement low-threshold interventions and therapies,” states Professor Marko Elovainio from the Faculty of Medicine.
Funding: The research was carried out in cooperation with the University of Helsinki and the Institute of Health and Welfare. The financiers are the Helsinki College for Advanced Studies, the University of Helsinki and the Academy of Finland.
From this depression research news
Factor: Anu Koivuspilä
Source: university of Helsinki
Contact: Anu Koivusipilä – University of Helsinki
Picture: The image is in the public domain
Original research: Open access.
“The connection between depression and the probability of having children: a national registry study in Finland” by Kateryna Golovina et al. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Abstract
The connection between depression and the probability of having children: a national registry study in Finland
Background
Depression may be associated with a lower likelihood of having children, but findings are inconsistent. Previous population-based studies on this topic are limited.
Target
We investigated the connections between depression and the probability of having children, the number of children and the age of the parents at first birth. We also assessed whether these associations differ between people with low, medium, or high levels of education.
Study planning
We conducted a national cohort study, which included all persons born in Finland between 1960 and 1980 (n=1,408,951). Depression diagnoses were identified from the healthcare treatment register (including information on hospitalizations from 1969-2017 and specialist visits from 1996-2017). The most important outcomes – having biological children, number of biological children and parents’ age at first birth – were identified from Statistics Finland’s population register and defined either in the last follow-up year 2017 or in the last year. alive or living in Finland. The association between depression and the likelihood of having children was examined using logistic regression analysis; the association between depression and the number of children was assessed using Poisson regression analyses, and the association between depression and age at first birth was assessed using linear regression analysis. All analyzes were performed separately for men and women.
Score
In both men and women, secondary treatment-treated depression was associated with lower odds of having children (odds ratio 0.66; 95% CI 0.64–0.67 for men; odds ratio 0.84; 95% CI 0.82–0 .85 for women) and having fewer children (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.86–0.87 for men; OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.96–0.96 for women ). Depression was associated with a slightly lower parental age at first birth (33.1 vs 34.0; P<.001 for men; 31.3 vs. 32.1; P<.001 for women). A dose-response relationship was observed between the severity of depression and the reduced probability of having children and the number of children. Earlier onset of depression was associated with a lower likelihood of having children and having fewer children. In middle and higher education groups, for men and women, depression was associated with a lower likelihood of having children and having fewer children. No associations were found in men with low levels of education. Among women with little education, depression was associated with a greater likelihood of having children and having more children.
Conclusion
Both men and women with secondarily treated depression are less likely to have children and have fewer children. Our results suggest that depression may be one of the factors that increase the likelihood of having children, and should be addressed by policy makers.