Abstract
BACKGROUND: Paternal perinatal depression (PPD) is closely associated with maternal mental health challenges, marital strain, and adverse child developmental outcomes. Despite its significant impact, PPD remains under-recognized in family-centered clinical practice. Concurrently, against the backdrop of rising rates of delayed marriage and China's Maternity Incentive Policy, the proportion of women giving birth at an advanced maternal age is increasing. Nevertheless, research specifically examining PPD among spouses of older mothers remains critically scarce, both in China and globally. AIM: To investigate PPD and its influencing factors in Chinese advanced maternal age families. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 358 participants; it was conducted among fathers of pregnant women of advanced maternal age at five hospitals in the Pearl River Delta region of China from September 2023 to June 2024. Data were collected via a general information questionnaire, the Social Support Rating Scale, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Latent profile analysis and regression mixture models (RMMs) were adopted to analyze the latent PPD types and factors that influenced PPD. RESULTS: The incidence of PPD was 16.48%, and three profiles were identified: Low-symptomatic (175 cases, 48.89%), monophasic (140 cases, 39.10%), and high-symptomatic (43 cases, 12.01%). The RMM analysis revealed that first pregnancy, low income (< ¥3000/month), part-time work, and a history of abnormal pregnancy were positively associated with the high-symptomatic type (P < 0.05). Conversely, high subjective support and support utilization were negatively associated with the high-symptomatic type compared with the low-symptomatic type (P < 0.05). Good couple relationships, high objective and subjective support, and high support utilization were negatively associated with monophasic disorder (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PPD incidence is high among Chinese fathers with advanced maternal age partners, and the characteristics of depression are varied. Healthcare practitioners should prioritize individuals with low levels of social support.