Taking two weeks of paternity leave reduces the risk of postpartum depression, which affects 8-10% of men, according to an Inserm study. With positive consequences for mothers and children as well.
This is an additional argument in favor of paternity leave. Taking two weeks off to welcome a baby lowers a father’s risk of postpartum depression, which affects 8 to 10% of men worldwide, according to an Inserm study published on Wednesday, January 4, and conducted before fatherhood. extension of leave. , from 14 to 28 days, seven of which are mandatory.
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This study of more than 10,000 heterosexual couples found that 5.7% of men who did not take paternity leave had postnatal depression, compared to 4.5% of those who took it within two months of the child’s birth. and 4.8% of those planning to take vacation.
Child development, lifelong sharing of housework, maternal well-being, gender equality in employment and careers… To these many well-known and documented benefits of paternity leave are therefore added its positive effects in terms of mental health.
Negative impact on mothers
But a paradoxical phenomenon appears. women whose husbands take parental leave are at increased risk of postpartum depression. 16.1% of them have PAH, compared to 15.3%, whose partner did not take paternity leave. How to explain it? “It is possible that fathers whose partner is more at risk of depression take paternity leave more willingly,” explains Maria Melchior, research director of Inserm. Our findings, however, highlight the importance that father-directed family policies can have for parents’ mental health, as they can promote gender equality in the labor market and increase fathers’ participation in the family sphere.
But the negative impact of paternity leave on women’s mental health raises an additional question: how long does a father have to be present for a partner to take advantage of it? “The negative association observed in mothers may suggest that two weeks of paternity leave is not enough to prevent postpartum depression in mothers,” comments Catherine Barry, a doctoral student at Inserm at the Sorbonne University and first author of the work. Therefore, as planned, there is interest in continuing the research on a new group that will take advantage of paternity leave within 28 days.
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Source: Le Figaro
