Depression May Decrease Likelihood of Having Children, Study Says

According to a recent study, women have higher chances of developing depression during the years of childbearing. Moreover, depression has been seen to be linked with decreased likelihood of having children, for both males and females.

Depression and Likelihood of Having Children

SciTechDaily notes how this recent study analyzed register data of Finland that covered more than 1.4 million participants. The researchers looked into the link between fertility, children count, clinically diagnosed depression, and age of first birth. Their sample covered Finland-born women and men from 1960 up until 1980.

The findings were included in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Kateryna Golovina, the study's principal investigator, shared how one of the primary findings reflected that depression was linked to lower likelihoods of having children as well as lower children count across both women and men. Depression was also found to be associated with being slightly younger during the first birth.

SciTechDaily reports the study findings that men who are dealing with clinical depression had a 33% lower chances of having children compared to men who are not dealing with the mood disorder.

Women dealing with depression, on the other hand, had lower chances worth 15% compared to their counterparts who did not have depression.

Severity and Education Moderate the Link

One striking finding was that depression severity was significantly linked to the chances of having children. Among men, even just mild levels of depression already had a significant link to lower chances of having children. For women, however, the link was only significant if the depression was severe.

According to Neuroscience News, the researchers dug into whether other factors, such as differences in educational attainment, moderated this link between depression and likelihood of having children.

They found that among women and men that reached a secondary or higher education level, depression was significantly associated with lower likelihoods of having children as well as having a fewer number of children. For those whose education was basic, however, there were no significant associations seen among men. For such women, however, depression was seen to be associated with heightened likelihoods of having children.

Clinical Implications

Such findings show some clinical implications. They suggest, for one, that depression may contribute to the chances of having children. Thus, treating and preventing depression early on is vital. This can be done, for instance, by boosting access to mental healthcare or expanding obstetrician-gynecologists services. Among men, depression severity should be focused on, considering how even mild levels may lead to negative impacts.

SciTechDaily notes how, generally, the study results are one that encourages further access to mental health services and gives more therapies and interventions that have a threshold that is low.

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