Husbands’ knowledge and attitudes regarding postpartum depression

Background Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent mental health disorder that can occur anytime within the first year after childbirth. PPD has negative health consequences for mothers, infants, and other family members. Early detection and treatment are essential in mitigating these effects. Th...

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Main Authors: Aisha M. Aqeeli, Hanan A. Badr, Salmah A. Alghamdi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2025-05-01
Series:PeerJ
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Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/19426.pdf
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author Aisha M. Aqeeli
Hanan A. Badr
Salmah A. Alghamdi
author_facet Aisha M. Aqeeli
Hanan A. Badr
Salmah A. Alghamdi
author_sort Aisha M. Aqeeli
collection DOAJ
description Background Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent mental health disorder that can occur anytime within the first year after childbirth. PPD has negative health consequences for mothers, infants, and other family members. Early detection and treatment are essential in mitigating these effects. This study aims to assess husbands’ knowledge and attitudes toward PPD among men aged 20 years and older residing in Saudi Arabia. Methods This study employed a cross-sectional design. Participants were recruited through social media and face-to-face methods using a convenience sampling approach. A total of 401 husbands were included in the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s simple correlation analysis. Results In this study, the majority of participants (89.5%, n = 359) were Saudi nationals. Approximately half of the husbands (48.4%, n = 194) were between the ages of 30 and 39, whereas only 10% (n = 40) were 50 or older. Nearly half of the participants (45.4%) demonstrated a high level of knowledge about PPD. Additionally, 66.1% of the husbands had a positive attitude toward PPD and had received prior information about the condition. Family and friends were the most commonly cited sources of PPD knowledge. A positive correlation was found between husbands’ knowledge and attitudes toward PPD (r = 0.117, P < 0.005). Furthermore, significant associations were observed between husband’s knowledge and attitude and several sociodemographic characteristics, including nationality, educational level, occupation, monthly income, and years of marriage (P < 0.05). Conclusion The husbands demonstrated a good level of knowledge and a positive attitude toward PPD. However, further research is needed to enhance their understanding and attitudes, particularly in addressing the negative beliefs about PPD identified in this study.
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spelling doaj-art-db9ebdcee9db4799bbe4c742b14e0c642025-08-20T03:10:04ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592025-05-0113e1942610.7717/peerj.19426Husbands’ knowledge and attitudes regarding postpartum depressionAisha M. Aqeeli0Hanan A. Badr1Salmah A. Alghamdi2Labor and Delivery Department, East Jeddah Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaMaternity and Child Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaMaternity and Child Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaBackground Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent mental health disorder that can occur anytime within the first year after childbirth. PPD has negative health consequences for mothers, infants, and other family members. Early detection and treatment are essential in mitigating these effects. This study aims to assess husbands’ knowledge and attitudes toward PPD among men aged 20 years and older residing in Saudi Arabia. Methods This study employed a cross-sectional design. Participants were recruited through social media and face-to-face methods using a convenience sampling approach. A total of 401 husbands were included in the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s simple correlation analysis. Results In this study, the majority of participants (89.5%, n = 359) were Saudi nationals. Approximately half of the husbands (48.4%, n = 194) were between the ages of 30 and 39, whereas only 10% (n = 40) were 50 or older. Nearly half of the participants (45.4%) demonstrated a high level of knowledge about PPD. Additionally, 66.1% of the husbands had a positive attitude toward PPD and had received prior information about the condition. Family and friends were the most commonly cited sources of PPD knowledge. A positive correlation was found between husbands’ knowledge and attitudes toward PPD (r = 0.117, P < 0.005). Furthermore, significant associations were observed between husband’s knowledge and attitude and several sociodemographic characteristics, including nationality, educational level, occupation, monthly income, and years of marriage (P < 0.05). Conclusion The husbands demonstrated a good level of knowledge and a positive attitude toward PPD. However, further research is needed to enhance their understanding and attitudes, particularly in addressing the negative beliefs about PPD identified in this study.https://peerj.com/articles/19426.pdfAttitudeHusbandHusband’s supportKnowledgePostpartum depression
spellingShingle Aisha M. Aqeeli
Hanan A. Badr
Salmah A. Alghamdi
Husbands’ knowledge and attitudes regarding postpartum depression
PeerJ
Attitude
Husband
Husband’s support
Knowledge
Postpartum depression
title Husbands’ knowledge and attitudes regarding postpartum depression
title_full Husbands’ knowledge and attitudes regarding postpartum depression
title_fullStr Husbands’ knowledge and attitudes regarding postpartum depression
title_full_unstemmed Husbands’ knowledge and attitudes regarding postpartum depression
title_short Husbands’ knowledge and attitudes regarding postpartum depression
title_sort husbands knowledge and attitudes regarding postpartum depression
topic Attitude
Husband
Husband’s support
Knowledge
Postpartum depression
url https://peerj.com/articles/19426.pdf
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AT hananabadr husbandsknowledgeandattitudesregardingpostpartumdepression
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