Table 1.
Characteristics of the parents and children included in the analysis.
| n = 7496 | |
|---|---|
| Fathers | |
| Age in years 18 weeks after birth of child, mean (SD) | 31.18 (5.4) |
| Highest level of education, n (%) | |
| O-level, CSEa or vocational | 3325 (44.4%) |
| A-levelb | 1563 (20.9%) |
| University degree | 1092 (14.6%) |
| Missing | 1516 (19.0%) |
| Hours worked per week, mean (SD) | 44.88 (9.9) |
| EPDSc score 8 weeks after birth of child, median (IQR) | 3 (1–6) |
| SESd category, n (%) | |
| 1 – lowest | 156 (2.1%) |
| 2 | 555 (7.4%) |
| 3 | 2758 (36.8%) |
| 4 | 2524 (33.7%) |
| 5 – highest | 916 (12.2%) |
| Missing | 587 (7.8%) |
| Mothers | |
| Age in years at birth of child, mean (SD) | 29.2 (4.4) |
| Highest level of education, n (%) | |
| O-level, CSE or vocational | 2822 (37.7%) |
| A-level | 1792 (23.9%) |
| University degree | 1472 (19.6%) |
| Missing | 1410 (18.8%) |
| Parity, median (IQR) | 1 (0–1) |
| Return to work or school 8 weeks after birth of child, n (%) | |
| Yes | 505 (6.7%) |
| No | 6991 (93.3%) |
| Return to work or school 8 months after birth of child, n (%) | |
| Yes | 2752 (36.7%) |
| No | 4734 (63.2%) |
| Missing | 10 (0.1%) |
| EPDS score 8 weeks after birth of child, median (IQR) | 5 (2–8) |
| SESd category, n (%) | |
| 1 – lowest | 104 (1.4%) |
| 2 | 498 (6.6%) |
| 3 | 3092 (41.3%) |
| 4 | 2.230 (29.8%) |
| 5 – highest | 460 (6.1%) |
| Missing | 1112 (14.8%) |
| Children | |
| Mean age difference in months, mean (SD) | 0.00 (5.8) |
| Gender, n (%) | |
| Boys | 3705 (50.6%) |
| Girls | 3791 (49.4%) |
| sMFQe score, median (IQR) | 1 (0–3) |
| sMFQ score of 12 or more on at least 1 measurement, n (%) | 259 (3.5%) |
a
O-level and CSE were the national exams which students in England sat in their last year of compulsory school education at age 16.
b
A-levels are pre-university examinations.
c
EPDS is the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.
d
SES is socioeconomic status based on individual's occupation, derived from the Computer-assisted structured coding tool (CASCOT).
e
sMFQ is the short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire.