This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Postnatal paternal depression tied to depression in teen offspring

Study findings published in JAMA Psychiatry indicated a link between depression in fathers during the postnatal period and later depression in their offspring at age 18 years.

The researchers also reported that for female offspring, this connection was mostly explained by the influence of maternal depression.

“There is, to our knowledge, very limited evidence regarding the potential influence of paternal depression in the postnatal period on the development of adolescent depression,” Leticia Gutierrez-Galve, PhD, from the Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College, London, and colleagues wrote. “However, there is clear evidence that paternal depression in the postnatal period is associated with subsequent child behavioral and emotional problems at ages 4 years and 7 years.”

In a previous study, Gutierrez-Galve and colleagues found that much of the link between paternal depression and child behavioral outcomes was explained by the mediating roles of maternal depression and conflicts between parents.

Using this cohort — the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children — they explored the link between paternal depression during the postnatal period and offspring depression as well as the possible mediating and moderating factors affecting this connection. The hypothesized moderator was sex and the hypothesized mediators were depression in the other parent, conflict between the mother and father and paternal involvement as well as emotional issues, conduct problems and hyperactivity in children at age 3.5 years.

Researchers measured paternal depression symptoms at 8 weeks after offspring birth and their children’s depression symptoms at age 18 years.

In total, 3,176 father-offspring pairs were included in analysis: 1,764 offspring were girls and 1,412 were boys. The results showed that the children of fathers with depression during the postnatal period were at higher risk for depression symptoms at age 18 years (beta = 0.053; 95% CI, 0.02-0.09).

In addition, this association was mediated by maternal depression at 8 months (beta = 0.011 [bootstrapped 95% CI, 0.0008-0.02]; 21% [0.011/0.053]) and conduct problems at 42 months after birth (beta = 0.004; [bootstrapped 95% CI, –0.00004 to 0.009]; 7.5% [0.004/0.053]). However, conflict between parents and paternal involvement did not mediate this association, according to the findings.

Analysis also revealed that the link between paternal depression symptoms and depressive symptoms in teenage offspring was stronger in girls than boys, and this association was explained by the influence of maternal depression at 8 months and conduct problems at age 42 months.

“Overall, these findings highlight the importance of recognizing and treating depression in fathers during the postnatal period and considering both parents when one parent presents with depression,” Gutierrez-Galve and colleagues wrote. – by Savannah Demko

Disclosure: Gutierrez-Galve reported no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.