Dads Often Get Postpartum Depression, Too

By
JOANNA SCHAFFHAUSEN
August 7, 2006, 11:45 AM ET
2 min read

Aug. 7, 2006

-- POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION IN DADS, TOO It's not just new mothers who get the baby blues. A new study published in Pediatrics finds fathers can also suffer from depression after the arrival of a baby. Researchers from Eastern Virginia Medical School and the University of Colorado at Denver examined a national sample of more than 5,000 new mothers and fathers. They found similar levels of depression in both parents -- 14 percent of new mothers and 10 percent of new fathers showed symptoms of moderate to severe depression. Depression in both parents was associated with a decreased likelihood of "enrichment behaviors," such as reading to the child, singing to the child and telling stories.

SHOPPING CART INJURIES TO KIDS An estimated 24,000 children were treated for shopping-cart-related injuries in 2005, according to a new report from Pediatrics, with 85 percent of injuries occurring in children under 5. Most often, these injuries resulted from children falling from the cart or from sitting in the cart when it tipped over. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that shopping carts be improved for safety and for clarity on using them with small children. In the meantime, they say parents should consider other options in the store and perhaps avoid the shopping cart altogether.

NOT GOOD NEWS ON NURSING HOMES Bad care persists in nursing homes and good nursing homes are hard to find, Consumer Reports says in an investigative report published today. The report analyzes the three most recent state inspection reports for about 16,000 nursing homes across the United States. "It's a national disgrace," says author Trudy Lieberman. Homes are poorly regulated, and the residents suffer. The analysis found that not-for-profit homes generally provide better care than for-profit homes, and that residents in independently run nursing homes appear to fare better than people in homes that are owned by chains. Consumer Reports also provides a free nursing home quality monitor that names the best and worst homes in each state based on their rankings at ConsumerReports.org/nursinghomes.

STAT is a brief look at the latest medical research and is compiled by Joanna Schaffhausen, who holds a doctorate in behavioral neuroscience. She works in the ABC News Medical Unit, evaluating medical studies, abstracts and news releases.