How does paternal depression affect child development?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Although less recognized and studied than maternal depression, fathers, too, experience chronic depression. About 3 to 5 percent of fathers report symptoms after the birth of a child. Parental depression can interfere with effective parenting and seriously impair children's development. Genetic makeup increases the risk of depressive illness, but social and cultural factors are also involved. Paternal depression is linked to dissatisfaction with marriage and family life after childbirth and to other life stressors, including job loss and divorce. Persistent paternal depression strongly predicts child behavior problems—especially overactivity, defiance, and aggression in boys. Paternal depression is linked to frequent father–child conflict as children grow older. Over time, children subjected to parental negativity develop a pessimistic world view—one in which they lack self-confidence and perceive their parents and other people as threatening. Children who constantly feel endangered are especially likely to become overly aroused in stressful situations, easily losing control in the face of cognitive and social challenges.