The sleepless nights. Extreme tiredness. The anguish of taking its marks as new mothers. Not to mention the drop in hormones and the grueling physical aftermath of childbirth. If giving birth to a baby is probably one of the most beautiful adventures of a life, it is also one of the most trying. Thus, each year, approximately 17% of young mothers suffer from postpartum depression (PPD). If the word is gradually released on this phenomenon, the PPD of fathers, it is largely unknown and poorly documented. Yet it would affect 8 to 10% of fathers in the year following the birth of their child.
But according to a study conducted by Inserm published this Wednesday in the journal The Lancet Public Health, fathers benefiting from two weeks of paternity leave would be less at risk of developing PPD. How to explain this phenomenon ? And does this paternity leave also reduce this risk for mothers?
Better find his place as a father
Since July 1, 2021, the law provides for paid paternity leave of four weeks, compared to two weeks previously. A research team from Inserm and Sorbonne University at the Pierre-Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health investigated the impact of two weeks of paternity leave on the risks of PPD in each of the two parents. months after the birth of their child, sifting through the data of more than 10,000 heterosexual couples participating in the Elfe cohort study. And at 2 months, more than 64% of the fathers studied had already taken paternity leave, and 17% said they intended to take one. And almost one in five (19%) had not taken it and did not plan to take it.
In terms of figures, this choice makes a small difference: 4.5% of fathers who took paternity leave and 4.8% of those intending to take one had PPD, compared to 5.7% of those who did not. not having used. “In addition to the advantages that paternity leave can confer in terms of family dynamics and child development, it could therefore also have positive effects in terms of the mental health of fathers”, comments Katharine Barry, Inserm doctoral student at Sorbonne University and first author. of these works.
Taken soon after the birth of the child, “paternity leave can help the new father to find his place within the family, to create a bond with his baby, to find his bearings and to gain self-confidence in his role as a father. », explains Isabelle Fournier, member of the board of directors and ex-president of the National Association of Liberal Midwives (ANSFL).
No positive effect for mothers
On the other hand, the authors of the study observed that these two weeks of paternity leave did not have a positive effect for the mothers: 16.1% of those whose partner used the paternity leave presented PPD against 15, 1% of those whose partner intended to take paternity leave, and 15.3% of those whose partner had not taken paternity leave. Conclusions which “support the importance of family policies targeted at fathers and question the modalities of paternity leave beneficial to the mental health of both members of the couple”, underline the authors of the study.
While previous work has shown that paternity leave “was associated with increased father involvement in household chores and child-rearing, improved family and relationship dynamics, and had positive consequences for development emotional, psychological and social effects of the child”, remind the Inserm researchers, too short a duration would not allow it to be associated with significant benefits. “The negative association observed in mothers could suggest that a duration of 2 weeks of paternity leave is not sufficient to prevent PPD in mothers”, confirms Katharine Barry.
But beyond the duration of this leave, “it is simplistic to think that the presence of the father can solve everything in the field of the prevention of postpartum disorders for mothers, underlines Isabelle Fournier. His presence is obviously a good thing, but I’m not sure that fathers have the tools to surround mothers in the way they need to be, simply because they don’t necessarily know how to do it. more. And in the end, rather than a team that has its bearings, it is two weaknesses that are put together and feed each other”. According to the scientists, this negative association among mothers could thus be due to the unequal distribution of time allocated to childcare. Future research should examine the impact that the length and timing of paternity leave may have on parents’ mental health and children’s development, including since its extension to one month.
“Developing better postpartum support”
However, for Isabelle Fournier, the solution must go beyond paternity leave alone. “As long as we do not offer real care for the mother during this period of vulnerability, the risk of PPD remains present”. Launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Health and the health authorities, the “The first 1,000 days” system provides in particular for a post natal interview carried out by the midwife or the attending physician, intended to identify the first signs. “It’s an important exchange, believes Isabelle Fournier, but we should go further, why not with family workers at home, she says. The postpartum period is a very destabilizing period for families and often the moment of the first big crisis in a couple: the arrival of a first baby makes more than one explode.
Hence the importance of “developing better postpartum support,” insists the midwife. Today, there is no longer this accompaniment by the entourage of young mothers, this famous “village” which helps, as is still the case in North African cultures for example, where they are very surrounded by their circle of women, and where there are far fewer DPPs. However, they need to be reassured and supported, beyond the spouse, whether by a friend, a sister, a mother or an aunt: someone to whom we can dare to say that we cannot more and we need a helping hand, to go out even for an hour without our baby, to go for a walk or have a coffee with the girlfriends. We will not be a bad mother for all that, on the contrary! I always tell moms that they are like electric batteries that the baby discharges, they must allow themselves to identify and satisfy their needs to recharge. We have to stop putting so much pressure on mothers.”