Summary
Recent research highlights that a father’s depression during a child’s first year can lead to higher odds of the child experiencing multiple adverse events by age 5. Such adverse childhood experiences have long-term impacts, including health and academic challenges, which emphasizes the need to recognize and treat paternal postpartum depression early to potentially minimize these risks. Pediatricians have a crucial role in helping fathers get access to essential support facilities.
Key Findings
- A father’s postpartum depression doubles the probability of a child experiencing three or more adverse events by the age of 5.
- The research analyzed data from almost 2,000 father/child pairs, with about 75% of the parents not being married.
- The relationship exists and lasts beyond the influence of socioeconomic factors and the mother’s postpartum depression.
Research Findings In Depth
Father’s depression during his child’s initial year has been associated with difficulties in parenting and child behavior, but new research finds that it also doubles the probability of a child having three or more adverse childhood experiences by the age of 5. These Audverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which include household dysfunction and child maltreatment, can have lifelong effects on children including health issues, poorer mental health, and lower school performance. The research presented preliminary findings in the 2023 AAP National Conference & Exhibition.
The author, Kristine Schmitz, MD, assistant professor of Population Health, Quality Improvement and Implementation Science at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, emphasizes that paternal depression is underdiagnosed. She analyzed data on 1,933 father/child pairs from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Children had two times the odds of experiencing three or more ACEs by age 5, a risk that went beyond socioeconomic factors and mother’s postpartum depression. Hence, father’s postpartum depression screening, and treatment may lower the risk of hardships their children may later face.
Funding
This research was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Health Resources and Service Administration; and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation via its support of the Child Health Institute of New Jersey.
Personal Opinion
As a psychiatrist, I agree that the mental health of parents, particularly new fathers, is an often overlooked aspect of family health. Postpartum depression in fathers is an underrecognized condition that deserves similar attention and approach as maternal postpartum depression. Screening for such conditions and providing appropriate interventions not only benefits the individual but also potentially has long-term benefits for the child’s development and health. Connecting fathers with essential support resources is a crucial part of this process.
Dr Thomas Wilson, MD, Cure of Mind