A new study revealed that first time, young dads experience increasing depression during the first five years of their fatherhood. This emotional torment also affects their relationship with their children which reflect on their interaction with their children.
Researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, led by associate professor in pediatrics Craig Garfield, studied the responses of about 10,253 male participants who reported signs of depression such as sadness, mental disorientation, and discontent in life. They were asked to rate their depression in a scale of 1 to 10.
The participants were followed for 20 years beginning 1994. After a decade, 33 percent of the participants were fathers at ages 24 to 32. Only 80 percent of them live with their children.
Data showed that the participants' level of depression increased by an average of 68 percent when they became fathers starting age 25.
"There's been a significant body of literature describing the effect of mother's depression on child development, and the health care system has tried to rise to the challenge of identifying mothers with depression," said Prof. Garfield to USA Today. "Fathers have not been on the radar screen until recently. Now we know that ... right around the time of the birth is an important time to try and capture and screen those dads."
They also found out that this depression often translates to a negative interaction with their children. These dads often hurt their children as a form of punishment and neglect them most of the time. These children usually grow up with less developed language and reading skills compared to those with happy dads.
Men also undergo postpartum depression but reacts to it differently than women. Men tend to hide their emotions which only worsen the condition. Some of the symptoms that may be observed on men include increased anger and conflict with others, alcohol or drug abuse, violent behavior, losing weight, and isolation.
This study was published in the April 14 issue of Pediatrics.
