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• Posted April 29, 2025

Fathers' Depression Affects Kids' Future Behavior

TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Dads are supposed to be strong, steady and stoic, given how they’re portrayed in sitcoms and family entertainment.

But in real life, fathers sometimes falter — and brushing it off can have a devastating impact on their kids’ development, a new study says.

Undiagnosed or unaddressed depression in fathers can have negative social and behavioral effects on their children that can persist for years, researchers reported recently in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Five-year-olds whose fathers had symptoms of depression were significantly more likely by age 9 to exhibit restlessness, defiance and anger, researchers explained.

They also had lower levels of cooperation and self-esteem, results showed.

“We need to consider depression in both parents, not just mothers,” said lead researcher Dr. Kristine Schmitz, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J.

“Depression is treatable, and to support the whole family, pediatricians must start talking with dads about it and developing father-focused interventions that meet their needs,” Schmitz added in a news release.

Between 8% and 13% of U.S. fathers are affected by depression during their child’s early years, and that increases to 50% if a child’s mother experiences postpartum depression, researchers said in background notes.

To explore the link between fathers’ mental health and children’s behaviors, researchers analyzed data on more than 1,400 kids enrolled in a long-term study that randomly sampled births from 20 large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000.

When the kids were 5 years old, fathers were screened for symptoms of depression. Teachers completed a behavioral assessment for the kids when they reached age 9.

“Kindergarten entry is an important developmental milestone, and adversities faced at that time can lead to poorer engagement and behaviors in grade school that may persist or magnify through middle and high school,” researchers wrote.

Results showed clear links between child conduct and depression among fathers, researchers said.

Depression is known to cause problems with effective parenting, Schmitz said. For example, depressed dads are less able to provide emotional support for their kids.

A father’s depression also can cause conflict or stress in the home, Schmitz added.

Dads who recognize and get treatment for their depression could improve well-being for both themselves and their kids, Schmitz said.

“As parents, we can model that when we struggle, we reach out and get help,” she said. “That’s a lesson children will carry for a lifetime.”

More information

Yale Medicine has more on how parental depression affects a child.

SOURCE: Rutgers University, news release, April 19, 2025