Paternal mental distress may affect child development

The perinatal mental distress experienced by a father appears to have a negative effect on the offspring’s developmental outcomes from infancy through adolescence, according to a meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases as well as the gray literature for studies in which the association of paternal perinatal depression, anxiety, and stress with offspring development during the first 18 years of life was examined. Inclusion criteria were availability in English and having a human sample, quantitative data, longitudinal design, and a measure of paternal perinatal mental distress and offspring development.

The search yielded 9,572 studies, of which 48 cohorts from 84 studies with 674 effect sizes met the criteria for quantitative synthesis. The primary outcomes were global, social-emotional, adaptive, cognitive, language, physical, and motor development in offspring in the first 18 years of life.

Univariate random-effects models were used to synthesize the associations between paternal perinatal mental distress and offspring development. Study quality was evaluated using the US National Institutes of Health quality assessment tool for observational, cohort, and cross-sectional studies.

Pooled data showed that perinatal mental distress in fathers was associated with poorer developmental outcomes in offspring, including global (r, −0.12), social-emotional (r, 0.09), cognitive (r, −0.07), language (r, −0.15), and physical development (r, 0.04). No association was observed for adaptive and motor outcomes.

Associations were mostly pronounced for postnatal than antenatal mental distress, which indicate that a father’s mental state may exert a more direct influence on the developing child after birth.

The findings underscore the importance of reducing mental distress in fathers perinatally, with preventative interventions aimed at supporting fathers during the transition to parenthood, to promote the health and well-being of their offspring.