News

24th June 2005

Concerns over postnatal depression in fathers

Postnatal depression in fathers can seriously affect the emotional development and behaviour of children, especially sons, according to a UK study.

Postnatal depression is thought to affect about one in ten women but scientists at Bristol and Oxford University doctors found that it also affects a significant number of fathers.

The study published in the lancet, says that paternal postnatal depression needs to be recognised and treated and calls for health care workers to look for signs that new fathers may be depressed.

The researchers studied 8,430 fathers eight weeks after the birth of their baby.

They found that 3.6 per cent (303) appeared to be suffering from depression, with symptoms including anxiety, mood swings, irritability and feelings of hopelessness. Among new mothers it was 10.2 per cent.

Oxford psychiatrist Dr Paul Ramchandani said, "We already know that postnatal depression in mothers can affect the quality of maternal care, and is associated with disturbances in children's later social, behavioural, psychological and physical development.

"While a significant number of men do report depression following the birth of a child, until now the influence of depression in fathers during the early years of a child's life has received scant attention."

The researchers assessed children at the age of three-and-a-half for signs of emotion problems, such as worry and sadness, and behavioural problems, such as hyperactivity.

There was a significantly higher rate of problems among boys whose fathers had been depressed early in their life but girls seemed to be less affected.

Dr Ramchandani said, "It may be that boys are specifically sensitive to the effects of parenting by fathers, perhaps because of different involvement by fathers with their sons.

"The influence of fathers in very early childhood may have been under-estimated in the past but these findings indicate that paternal depression has a specific and persisting impact on children's early behavioural and emotional development and that fathers influence their children's development from very early in life."

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