The couvade syndrome: background variables.

In a prospective study of couples expecting their first child, 20% of the men suffered from the couvade syndrome. They were older than the unaffected men, and more often had older parents. More of them showed attachment to and identification with their mothers. Men with the couvade syndrome suffered from a greater number of mental symptoms during the pregnancy than did the unaffected men. The couvade syndrome was also commoner when the woman was anxious about the pregnancy as well as parturition.