Long-term effects of maternal postpartum depression on mothers' and fathers' parenting stress

Ongoing disturbances in parental psychological functioning are proposed as one of the mechanisms linking maternal PPD and adverse child development. We examined the effect of maternal PPD on mothers’ and fathers’ parenting stress and depressive symptoms at child age five. Depressive symptoms and parenting stress were assessed using self-report questionnaires at child age five in a sample of nonclinical mothers (n = 31) and mothers previously diagnosed with PPD (n = 12) and their partners. Maternal PPD diagnosis was associated with mothers’ but not fathers’ depressive symptoms at child age five. Maternal PPD diagnosis was associated with more parental distress in mothers and fathers, although, for mothers, this relationship was better explained by own concurrent depressive symptoms. Finally, maternal PPD diagnosis was associated with mothers reporting more difficult parent–child interactions. Overall, the study shows that maternal PPD diagnosis has long-term negative effects on both mothers’ and fathers’ parenting resources.