Yin X, Du J, Cai SL, Chen XQ. Risk factors for paternal perinatal depression in Chinese advanced maternal age couples: A regression mixture model. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(1): 112057 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i1.112057]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xing Yin, Department of Clinical Nursing, School of Nursing, Zhaoqing Medical College, No. 12 Fengle Road, Zhaoqing 526020, Guangdong Province, China. yinxing20000@126.com
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Psychiatry
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Observational Study
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Jan 19, 2026 (publication date) through Dec 31, 2025
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World Journal of Psychiatry
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2220-3206
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Yin X, Du J, Cai SL, Chen XQ. Risk factors for paternal perinatal depression in Chinese advanced maternal age couples: A regression mixture model. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(1): 112057 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i1.112057]
World J Psychiatry. Jan 19, 2026; 16(1): 112057 Published online Jan 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i1.112057
Risk factors for paternal perinatal depression in Chinese advanced maternal age couples: A regression mixture model
Xing Yin, Juan Du, Shao-Lian Cai, Xing-Qiang Chen
Xing Yin, Xing-Qiang Chen, Department of Clinical Nursing, School of Nursing, Zhaoqing Medical College, Zhaoqing 526020, Guangdong Province, China
Juan Du, Shao-Lian Cai, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing, Zhaoqing Medical College, Zhaoqing 526020, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Yin X conceptualization; Cai SL and Du J methodology; Yin X and Chen XQ investigation; Du J and Chen XQ data curation; Cai SL writing-original draft; Yin X writing-review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Supported by High-level Professional Groups in Gangdong Province, No. GSPZYQ2020101; and Guangdong Province Educational Research Planning Project, No. 2024GXJK742.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Zhaoqing Medical College and First People's Hospital of Zhaoqing.
Informed consent statement: All participants, or their legal guardian, provided written informed consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xing Yin, Department of Clinical Nursing, School of Nursing, Zhaoqing Medical College, No. 12 Fengle Road, Zhaoqing 526020, Guangdong Province, China. yinxing20000@126.com
Received: August 26, 2025 Revised: September 29, 2025 Accepted: October 24, 2025 Published online: January 19, 2026 Processing time: 126 Days and 18.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Paternal perinatal depression (PPD) is closely associated with maternal mental health challenges, marital strain, and adverse child developmental outcomes. Despite its significant impact, PPD remains under-recognized in family-centered clinical practice. Concurrently, against the backdrop of rising rates of delayed marriage and China’s Maternity Incentive Policy, the proportion of women giving birth at an advanced maternal age is increasing. Nevertheless, research specifically examining PPD among spouses of older mothers remains critically scarce, both in China and globally.
AIM
To investigate PPD and its influencing factors in Chinese advanced maternal age families.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study included 358 participants; it was conducted among fathers of pregnant women of advanced maternal age at five hospitals in the Pearl River Delta region of China from September 2023 to June 2024. Data were collected via a general information questionnaire, the Social Support Rating Scale, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Latent profile analysis and regression mixture models (RMMs) were adopted to analyze the latent PPD types and factors that influenced PPD.
RESULTS
The incidence of PPD was 16.48%, and three profiles were identified: Low-symptomatic (175 cases, 48.89%), monophasic (140 cases, 39.10%), and high-symptomatic (43 cases, 12.01%). The RMM analysis revealed that first pregnancy, low income (< ¥3000/month), part-time work, and a history of abnormal pregnancy were positively associated with the high-symptomatic type (P < 0.05). Conversely, high subjective support and support utilization were negatively associated with the high-symptomatic type compared with the low-symptomatic type (P < 0.05). Good couple relationships, high objective and subjective support, and high support utilization were negatively associated with monophasic disorder (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
PPD incidence is high among Chinese fathers with advanced maternal age partners, and the characteristics of depression are varied. Healthcare practitioners should prioritize individuals with low levels of social support.
Core Tip: This study investigates paternal perinatal depression (PPD) among spouses of advanced maternal age women in China-an under-researched group. Using latent profile analysis in 358 fathers, we identified three distinct PPD profiles: Low-symptomatic (48.89%), monophasic (39.10%), and high-symptomatic (12.01%), with an overall PPD incidence of 16.48%. Crucially, low income (< ¥3000/month), part-time work, and prior abnormal pregnancy uniquely increased high-symptomatic PPD risk. High social support (subjective/objective) and strong couple relationships significantly protected against severe symptoms. These findings reveal nuanced PPD subtypes in high-risk families, urging targeted screening for fathers with limited social support.
