Survey finds signs of depression in 43% of fathers in Taiwan

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) More than 40 percent of fathers in Taiwan show signs of depression, according to a survey released Monday by the Child Welfare League Foundation.

According to the non-governmental organization, 43.3 percent of surveyed fathers exhibited signs of moderate to extremely severe depression, as measured by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21).

Of those, 14.4 percent fell into the "severe" or "extremely severe" categories.

The online survey, conducted between April 21 and May 26, collected responses from 547 fathers with children aged 18 or younger, including 46.4 percent in their 30s and 43.5 percent in their 40s. It was published ahead of Father's Day in Taiwan, which falls on Aug. 8.

A total of 62.9 percent of respondents identified themselves as their household's primary earners, while 32.4 percent said they shared that role with their spouses.

Economic pressure was the leading source of stress, with nearly 80 percent of respondents saying they had struggled to cover essential family expenses since becoming parents.

Among them, 59.6 percent said their finances were stretched, 16.6 percent reported their salaries were often insufficient and 5.9 percent said their income was "not enough at all."

Other major sources of stress included parenting, work, family obligations and relationships with spouses, respondents said.

The survey found that 49.5 percent of respondents had one child, 42.4 percent had two, and 8 percent had three or more.