Development and validation of the Japanese version of EPDS-P for indirect screening of paternal perinatal depression based on maternal reporting: Protocol for a prospective longitudinal observational study.

Perinatal depression is a mental illness that occurs between pregnancy and postpartum within the 12 months, and it is known to increase the risk of adversely impacting on child development. Men may also experience a psychosocial crisis during their partners' perinatal period. Although it was recently reported that the EPDS-P can indirectly detect paternal perinatal depression, there is, as yet, insufficient evidence of this because the previous studies had relatively small sample sizes and were limited to cross-sectional studies in the postpartum period. The development of a screening system for paternal perinatal depression using the EPDS-P will lead to increased awareness of the disease and provide an opportunity to establish a family-based support system in Japan.