Psychosocial factors associated with paternal postnatal depression.

BACKGROUND: While maternal postpartum depression is a well-known phenomenon, paternal postnatal depression has been less studied. It is known that paternal postnatal depression impacts on children's and families' development, affects marital satisfaction and affects the economic health of industrialized countries. The aim of this study was to identify the psychosocial factors associated with paternal postnatal depression. METHODS: A descriptive-correlational study was conducted with a sample of fathers of infants (average age: 11 months) who were breastfed exclusively or predominantly for at least 6 months, comparing psychosocial factors in fathers with (n: 17, 8.2%) and without a positive score for depression on the EPDS scale (n: 188). Psychosocial factors were assessed through questionnaires. RESULTS: Depression in fathers of breastfed infants is associated with the experience of perinatal loss in a previous pregnancy, parenting distress, infant temperament (difficult child), dysfunctional interactions with the child, decreased marital adjustment and perceived low parenting efficacy. Multivariate analysis suggests an independent effect of psychosocial factors such as parenting distress, quality of the marital relationship and perceived parenting efficacy on paternal depression. LIMITATIONS: The sample focused on fathers of breastfed infant, since breastfeeding has become the feeding norm, and this should be taken into account when considering the generalization of findings. CONCLUSION: These findings emphasize the need to consider a set of psychosocial factors when examining fathers' mental health in the first year of a child's birth. Health professionals can enhance parenting efficacy and alleviate parenting distress by supporting fathers' unique experiences and addressing their needs.

Audit of EEG reporting temporal abnormalities.

BACKGROUND: To ensure the overall quality of our electroencephalogram (EEG) laboratory, we decided to perform an audit of EEGs interpreted at our institution, focusing initially on EEGs reporting temporal abnormalities. METHODS: Reports of all EEGs performed between January 1st and June 30th, 2006 were reviewed in order to identify tracings mentioning abnormalities in the temporal regions. These records were then independently reviewed by two epileptologists on two distinct occasions, separated by an interval of at least six months. If the recording was considered normal after this process, the cause for misinterpretation was identified and the patient's chart was reviewed to determine if he was epileptic or not based on available evidence until June 2009. RESULTS: In the first half of 2006, 143 out of 773 EEGs mentioned temporal abnormalities (18.5%). In general, intra- and interrater agreement ratios between our two epileptologists were moderate to substantial for normality, presence of epileptic activity and presence of slowing. Forty-five recordings (31.5%) were reported as normal independently by them on two distinct sittings six months apart. The most common causes for misinterpretation were the presence of benign epileptiform variants, normal sharply contoured patterns of somnolence or hyperventilation. Chart review confirmed that most were non-epileptic patients (60% non-epileptic, 27% epileptic, 13% unknown). CONCLUSION: Moderate to substantial intra- and interrater agreement as well as frequent misinterpretation of physiological variants indicate that some corrective measures need to be implemented to improve the consistency of EEG interpretation amongst our group of electroencephalographers.

Prior victimization and sexual and contraceptive self-efficacy among adolescent females under Child Protective Services care.

Adolescent females under Child Protective Services care in Quebec, Canada (n = 328) completed a questionnaire designed to explore associations between prior victimization (childhood sexual abuse and four forms of dating violence) and four dimensions of sexual and contraceptive self-efficacy. Five MANCOVAs were performed. In each model, a victimization index served as the independent variable, four Contraceptive Self-Efficacy subscales as dependant variables, and age, age at first sexual intercourse, and lifetime number of sexual partners as covariates. Childhood sexual abuse was negatively associated with adolescent's perceived ability to communicate about her sexuality and contraceptive practices. Sexual coercion in dating relationships was negatively associated with the adolescent's perceived ability to communicate about her sexuality and contraception, her perceived control over her sexual activity, and her perceived control over her use of contraceptives in passionate situations. Sexual victimization was found to impair important aspects of adolescent females' sexual and contraceptive self-efficacy.