Fathers' depression gives children the 'blues'

By Smrity Sharma

As mothers spend more time with children, especially when they are young, too much focus has been put on the mental health of mothers and hence the role of fathers has been "under emphasised", the report warned.

Past studies have linked parental alcoholism with an increased risk of conduct disorders, delinquency, substance abuse, and emotional disorders, depression and poor self-esteem in kids, particularly in sons.

Details of the study
The report was written by psychiatry Professors Dr. Paul Ramchandani and Dr. Lamprini Psychogiou of Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK, after reviewing 1,664 relevant research publication citations to evaluate the connection between paternal mental health and a child's psychosocial development.

They found that fathers had more influence on the development of children than previously thought. The study also points that the most common time frame for a man to become a parent (between the ages of 18 and 35) is also the peak age for men to be affected by mental health disorders.

Paternal depression during the postnatal period, measured at 8 weeks after birth, has been associated with rise in the chance of the child subsequently developing behavioral and emotional problems from 10 percent to 20 percent. In addition, teenagers who have depressed fathers had an increased risk of various psychological problems, including depression and suicidal behavior.

Researchers wrote, "Women are actively screened for postnatal depression in many countries, however, the possibility that men might also be depressed during this time has, until recently, been almost entirely ignored.”

The Oxford team also suggests that adolescents whose parents suffer from manic depression are up to 10 times more likely to develop the condition, and between 3 to 4 times more likely to develop other psychiatric illnesses, as compared to adolescents of the same age with mentally healthy parents.

“Findings that children could be at an increased risk of behavioral problems when their fathers are depressed in the postnatal period, as well as when their mothers are, indicate an opportunity for potential intervention.

Additional focus on the mental health of fathers is likely not only to benefit them, but also to create an opportunity to help improve the lives of their children,” they concluded.

The research was published online in the medical journal The lancet on May 5.