People with depression are less likely to have children

Summary: Men with depression are 33% less likely to have children and depressed women are 15% less likely to have children than their peers without depression. Additionally, women are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression during their childbearing years.

Source: University of Helsinki

Women are most at risk of depression during their childbearing years, and according to a recent study published in the prestigious American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecologydepression is indeed associated with a lower probability of having children in both men and women.

Using unique Finnish registry data, this study with over 1.4 million participants examined associations between diagnosed depression and the likelihood of having children, number of children and age at birth. first birth for all men and women born in Finland between 1960 and 1980.

“One of the key findings was that depression was associated with a lower likelihood of having children and fewer children in both men and women. Depression was also linked to a slightly lower age at birth. first birth,” says lead researcher Kateryna Golovina of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies.

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 with a diagnosis of depression were 15% less likely to have a child than women without depression.

An important finding was that the severity of depression was associated with the likelihood of having children: for men, even mild depression was linked to a lower likelihood of having children, while for women the association was only found for severe depression.

Socioeconomic differences in the association between depression and the likelihood of having children

The study further examined whether there were educational differences in the association between depression and the likelihood of having children.

“Among men and women with secondary and higher education, depression was linked to a lower likelihood of having children and having fewer children. For participants with basic education, no association was observed for men, while for women, depression was linked to a higher likelihood of having children,” says Kateryna Golovina.

Early prevention and timely treatment of depression is crucial

The findings have clinical implications, suggesting that depression is one of the contributing factors to the likelihood of having children, which is why early prevention and timely treatment of depression is crucial. For example, rapid 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 healthcare providers.

For men, the severity of depression should be considered, as already milder depression can have more negative effects on their health and behavior than women.

“Overall, our findings provide further motivation to provide accessible mental health services to young people and implement low-threshold interventions and therapies,” says Professor Marko Elovainio from the Faculty of Medicine.

Funding: The study was conducted in collaboration between the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Funding was provided by the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, the University of Helsinki and the Academy of Finland.

About this depression research

Author: Anu Koivuspila
Source: University of Helsinki
Contact: Anu Koivusipilä – University of Helsinki
Image: Image is in public domain

Original research: Free access.
“Association between depression and the likelihood of having children: a national registry study in Finland” by Kateryna Golovina et al. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

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Summary

Association between depression and the likelihood of having children: a national registry study in Finland

Background

Depression may be associated with a lower likelihood of having children, but the results are inconsistent. Previous population-based studies on this topic are limited.

Objective

We examined the associations between depression and the likelihood of having children, the number of children and the parents’ age at first birth. We also assessed whether these associations differ for people with low, medium and high education.

study design

We conducted a nationwide cohort study including all individuals born in Finland between 1960 and 1980 (n = 1,408,951). Diagnoses of depression were identified from the care register for health care (containing records of hospitalization episodes for the period 1969 to 2017 and outpatient visits to a specialist for the period 1996 to 2017). The main outcomes – having biological children, number of biological children and age of parents at first birth – were identified from Statistics Finland’s population register and were defined either within the last year of the follow-up in 2017, i.e. during the last year. living 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 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 conducted separately for men and women.

Results

For both men and women, depression treated in secondary care was associated with a lower likelihood of having children (odds ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.64-0.67 for men; odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-0.85 for women) and having fewer children (incidence rate ratio, 0.86; interval 95% confidence interval, 0.86-0.87 for men; incidence rate ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-0.96 for women). Depression was associated with slightly lower parental age at first birth (33.1 versus 34.0; P<.001 for men; 31.3 versus 32.1; P<.001 for women). Dose-response associations between depression severity and a decreased likelihood of having children, as well as having fewer children, have been observed. Early onset depression was linked to a lower likelihood of having children and having fewer children. Among men and women in the middle and high education groups, depression was associated with a lower likelihood of having children and having fewer children. Among men with little education, no association was observed. Among women with little education, depression is associated with a higher likelihood of having children and having more children.

Conclusion

Men and women with depression treated in secondary care are less likely to have children and have fewer children. Our results suggest that depression may be one of the contributing factors to the likelihood of having children, which should be considered by policy makers.