Depressed dads

26 March 2009

Children whose fathers are depressed before and after birth are at a higher risk of developing emotional and behavioural problems themselves, according to a study; the more chronic the depression, the higher the risk.

The research is based on data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, covering 14 000 parents and children.

Reference

Ramchandani PG et al. The effects of pre- and postnatal depression in fathers: a natural experiment comparing the effects of exposure to depression on offspring. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2008;49(10):1069-79.