Kindergarten-age children who have fathers with depression are more likely than children not exposed to paternal depression to have behavioral problems and poor social skills several years later, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has found.
Kristine Schmitz, M.D., of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and colleagues examined data from 1,422 children enrolled in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing study. This ongoing study is following a cohort of individuals born in one of 20 large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000 as well as their families. More than 75% of mothers in the study were unmarried at the time of their children’s birth. Paternal depression was assessed using the World Health Organization’s Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form when the children were 5 years old, at which time 9% of fathers screened positive for depression.
When the children were 9 years old, their teachers reported the children’s behavior via the Conners’ Teacher Rating Scale—Revised Short form and the Social Skills Rating Scale. These assessments measure externalizing behaviors, internalizing behaviors, attention problems, and social problems.
After adjusting for numerous child and family variables, including maternal depression and whether the father lived with the child, the researchers found that paternal depression was associated with a 36% higher oppositional score, 37% higher hyperactive score, and 25% higher attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder score at age 9. Paternal depression was also associated with an 11% lower positive social skills score and a 25% higher problematic behavior score. There were no associations between paternal depression and cognitive problems/inattention.
“Several potential mechanisms could underlie the findings,” the researchers wrote. “Depression can lead to suboptimal parenting and less emotional support for the child. Paternal depression has been associated with fewer positive and more negative parenting behaviors, including harsher parenting and physical punishment.”
The researchers added that the findings support the need to identify fathers at risk for depression beyond the perinatal period and link them to interventions to support their children’s well-being.
“[The findings] also suggest the need for interventions supporting school-aged children exposed to paternal depression,” the researchers wrote. “Pediatricians, with their frequent contact with families, are well-positioned to address these important needs.”
For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “One-Third of Teens Have Parent With Anxiety or Depression.”
(Image: Getty Images/iStock/Miljan Živković)
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