Postpartum depression doesn't only affect moms, and new research shows that fathers who suffer from it have just as great an effect on their kids as depressed mothers do. As described in a press release from Northwestern University late last week, toddlers who have a depressed parent of either sex can experience emotional turmoil that manifests both internally and externally, through behaviors such as hitting, sadness, anxiety, lying, and jitteriness.
Most previous studies on the consequences of postpartum depression have focused only on women; this study (subscription required), published in Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, is one of the first to examine how toddlers are affected by depression in either parent. It was led by Sheehan Fisher, PhD, professor of psychiatry at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
As quoted in the release, Fisher states:
Father's emotions affect their children. New fathers should be screened and treated for postpartum depression, just as we do for mothers... Early intervention is the key. If we can catch parents with depression earlier and treat them, then there won't be a continuation of symptoms, and, maybe even as importantly, their child won't be affected by a parent with depression.
Data for the study was collected from nearly 200 couples; questionnaires were administered both in the first few months after their child's birth, and when their child was three years old. The forms were completed by each partner independently. Parents who reported signs of postpartum depression soon after the birth of their child also showed these signs three years later - the symptoms didn't self-resolve. The questionnaire also asked about fighting between parents, which, interestingly, did not contribute to children's emotionally troubled behaviors as much as having a depressed mother or father did.
Fisher stated in the release that depressed parents may smile and make eye contact less than parents who are not depressed, and that such emotional disengagement may make it hard for the child to form close attachments and healthy emotions.
Previous studies have shown that fathers are at a greater risk of depression after the birth of a child than at any other time in a typical male's life.
Previously: A telephone lifeline for moms with postpartum depression, 2020 Mom Project promotes awareness of perinatal mood disorders, In study, health professionals helped prevent postpartum depression, Dads get postpartum depression too and A call for depression screening for pregnant women, moms
Photo by Michelle Brandt
