Young fathers may also have postpartum depression
Men who become fathers at a young age are more likely to experience postpartum depression. That was the purpose of the study, which was published in the scientific journal Pediatrics.
After analyzing the health data of more than 10 thousand young men, whose age was 24-32 years old, specialists from Northwestern University found that the manifestation of symptoms of depression increased on average by 68% during the first five years of paternity.
Earlier in most previous studies, scientists focused on the effects of postpartum depression on young mothers and their children. The new scientific work was one of the first to study in detail the development of symptoms of depression in young fathers.
In this regard, the lead author of the study, Craig Garfield, said that the danger of parental depression lies in its negative impact on children, especially in the first important years of life, when there is an attachment between children and parents. It was found that fathers who experienced depression often resorted to corporal punishment. In addition, they are less likely to spend time with their children, reading books to them. It is likely that children of such fathers may have difficulty with speech and reading, problems with behavior.