Childhood is one of the most important stages in life, and children tend to pick up the behavior and emotions of their caregivers. That is why experts emphasize the importance of mental well -being in the educators, as it can deeply affect the development of the child. However, most of the main attention was on the mental health of the mother in early childhood, as postpartum depression and her impact on the child. But what about your father?
A study published on January 30, 2025, in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, moves the emphasis on the mental health of the parents. It turned out that when parents are depressed when their children start kindergarten. A few years later, this affects the child’s behavior. Let’s decipher this for another to better understand the origin.
A father’s depression affects children
The study studied more than 1400 families to understand the relationship between the father’s depression and the behavior of his child. He focused on his parents who suffered from depression when their children were going to start kindergarten, about 5 years old, a great milestone for both the child and the family. Four years later, when the children studied in the fourth grade, the researchers followed. They found that children with depressive parents are more likely to develop problems with peers whose parents were not depressed.
Children showed:
- 36 percent higher for opposition behavior (eg, argumentation, without following the instructions)
- 37 percent above hyperactivity
- 25 percent higher at symptoms associated with ADHD
Also read: Is the only child blessing or curse? A new study shows amazing conclusions
Why is it going?
Parents’ mental problems do not exist in isolation, they affect the whole family. Dads remain in talk about mental health, but the findings of this study show that their well -being is just as important for the child’s mental state. Researchers also investigated why these behavioral changes in children occur primarily. It turns out that children can read the room better than we understand, they can feel when their father becomes emotionally distant or shows less affection, especially at a time when they need support when they start moving in the early years of school, make friends and interact.
Moreover, depression can change family dynamics, which will increase the tension and arguments that children quickly pick up. As a result, they may feel uncertain, frightened and vulnerable, resulting in developing problems with behavior at school ranging from social removal to direct naughty behavior.
Also read: Strict upbringing of children: The study says that discipline of children with severe punishments reveals the truth about your romantic relationship
Note for readers: This article is intended only for information purposes rather than to replace professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of a doctor with any medical issues.
