Media release

From: JAMA

New dads’ mental health linked to child development

Supporting new dads’ mental health may play an important role in fostering their children’s healthy development, a new study shows.

Dr Sam Teague, a Senior Research Fellow at James Cook University's Department of Psychology, was part of a team that reviewed more than 80 longitudinal studies on the subject.

She said existing research estimates that one in ten new Australian dads experienced clinical levels of depression, and up to one in five report significant anxiety or stress.

“Despite this, we know fathers are not routinely asked about their wellbeing at any point before or after the birth of a child,” said Dr Teague.

The study found that paternal mental distress during pregnancy and after birth was associated with poorer outcomes in children’s social and emotional, cognitive, language, and physical development.

“This suggests that when fathers experience mental distress, it may be linked to how their child engages with others, understands emotions, thinks about the world, communicates and experiences physical health outcomes, such as weight, sleep and eating patterns,” said Dr Teague.

She said these patterns were observed across infancy through to late childhood, suggesting that these associations may persist over time.

“We also found mental distress after birth was more strongly related to child outcomes than distress in pregnancy. This might reflect the increasingly hands-on role dads play in their children’s lives,” said Dr Teague.

Associate Professor Delyse Hutchinson, Clinical Psychologist and senior researcher at Deakin University’s SEED Centre for Lifespan Research and School of Psychology, and lead author of the review, said the results highlight how important it is to provide better mental health support for new fathers.

“There will be cascading benefits for men and the development of their growing child. The study underscores how getting in early to support dads – both before and soon after the arrival of a new child - is critical,” said Dr Hutchinson.

The researchers are calling for greater mental health screening and targeted support for fathers during the perinatal period. The team recently developed and evaluated the Rover mobile app for new dad’s mental health and found that a mindfulness-based CBT program significantly improved symptoms of severe depression, anxiety and stress.

New and expectant fathers looking for support can speak with their GP, contact mental health support lines such as MensLine Australia (1300 789 978), or access information and resources via organisations such as PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia) and Beyond Blue.

Link to paper here. (Live after embargo lifts).