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Fathers’ mental health may lead to behavior problems in children

The psychological distress of expectant fathers was associated with emotional and behavioral problems in their children, according to data published today in Pediatrics.

“The findings from this study suggest that some risk for future child emotional and behavioral problems can be identified during pregnancy, and, as such, the results are of importance for health professionals and policymakers in their planning of health care in the perinatal period,” the researchers wrote.

Anne Lise Kvalevaag, a PhD candidate at Haugesund Hospital in Norway, and colleagues examined data on 31,663 children who were enrolled in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. The researchers relied on information from self-reports and questionnaires to determine the fathers’ perinatal mental health statuses — primarily symptoms of depression and anxiety — the mothers’ pre- and postnatal mental health, and their children’s behavioral and emotional outcomes at the age of 36 months.

 

Anne Lise Kvalevaag

Results indicated that at week 17 or 18 of gestation, 3% of the fathers had high levels of psychological distress. The researchers found a small but positive relationship between the fathers’ psychological distress and their children’s behavioral difficulties (beta=0.19; 95% CI, 0.15-0.23), emotional difficulties (beta=0.22; 95% CI, 0.18-0.26) and social functioning (beta=0.12; 95% CI, 0.07-0.16). The association between the fathers’ perinatal psychosocial distress and their children’s emotional and behavioral problems later on did not change when accounting for relevant confounders, such as the father’s age, education and marital status, or the mother’s mental health.

“Longitudinal population-based studies of fathers and children, with or without psychological distress, are needed to further explore these associations and the role of mediating or moderating factors for the associations,” the researchers wrote.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.