Don’t Be Depressed...Your Kids will Suffer Too...

Kids

oi-Staff

By Staff

Monday, May 11, 2009, 15:00

Depression is not an alien word in this recession-hit society. However, if you are a depressed father, be careful! Your depression may cause psychiatric or behavioural problems in your kids.

The psychiatrical or behavioural problems are more dominant in kids who have an alcoholic parent. Paternal alcoholism is also linked to an increased risk of mood disorders, depressive symptoms, poor performance at school, low self-esteem and problems forming relationships.

Coincidentally the peak age for men to be affected by psychiatric disorders is the same as the peak age for becoming a father between 18 and 35. Paternal depression during the alcoholic,anxiety,behaviour,mood,postnatal period,recession,suicide, measured at eight weeks after birth, has been linked to increasing the chance of the child subsequently developing behavioural and emotional problems.

The psychiatrical or behavioural problems of kids of depressed fathers may follow them upto their teenage also. The teenage offspring of depressed fathers also have an increased risk of various psychological problems, including depression and suicidal behaviour.

If you are a father suffering from anxiety disorder, your children have a two-fold increased risk of developing such disorders themselves.

Men's roles in bringing up children have changed significantly over the last century, with many dads now taking on an active 'nurturing role' so it's important that there is more research into the relationship between fathers' mental health problems and how these may affect their children.

Emily Wooster, policy and campaign manager for the mental health charity Mind, conducted this study.