Fatherhood makes 3% of Nigerian men depressed —Expert

A mental health expert, Dr Olatunde Ayinde, has said that contrary to perception, fatherhood is the reason three percent of new fathers in Nigeria develop mental health problems.

He listed some of the problems as anxiety and depression around the time of pregnancy, birth and growth of the baby.

Dr Ayinde, a consultant psychiatrist, in his lecture, entitled, ‘Fatherhood and Challenges of Balancing Work, Family and Mental Health’, at the June 2023 Asido Foundation’s Interactive Monthly Community Engagement(IMCE) series, said globally, one in 10 men has mental health condition during this period, with anxiety occurring in almost half of new fathers too.

He said that in a study, it was observed that the incidence of depression in Nigerian fathers increased from about three percent at birth to 8.8 percent by the sixth week and afterwards, adding that unemployment was a major risk factor for it.

According to him, new fathers are at increased risk of developing mental health conditions due to the complex interplay of personal vulnerability and psychosocial factors, including stress, poverty, unemployment and contextual issues like babies born out of wedlock.

He stated that the number of new fathers affected by mental health conditions around the time of pregnancy, birth and growth of a new baby is alarming, although cases are underestimated because in many cultures, men are not expected to show emotions or ask for help so as not to be seen to be weak.

Dr Ayinde said the mental health condition sometimes ends up affecting the children’s development and mental wellness, with that of the partner at times, because of poor quality of fathering, family wellness and increased possibility of marital conflicts. “Becoming a father is one of the most important events in a man’s life and, for many people, it is accompanied with intense emotions, a lot of mixed feelings; they are happy about it but they keep asking themselves if they will be able to perform their roles as fathers.

“It has been shown that paternal perinatal mental wellbeing has a way of affecting children’s development and mental health up till the age of 21. Also, fathers who have mental illness tend to affect the mental health of the mothers.

“Children of parents who have perinatal mental conditions are also at risk of developing mental health conditions and these have been shown to be true up to the age of 21 years,” he said.

Dr Ayinde, therefore, urged for support for fathers to be better and healthier and to be able to transition to fatherhood.