New dads twice as likely to become depressed, study finds
USA TODAY, May, 2008 by Marilyn Elias
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Fathers of 9-month-olds are about twice as likely as other men their age to show symptoms of major depression, which also can hurt their children: Depressed fathers read less to their kids, and the children know slightly fewer words by age 2, a study suggested Tuesday.
Depression in mothers is known to hamper children's academic performance and mental health. But the study on fathers, presented at the American Psychiatric Association meeting in Washington, D.C., is among the first to suggest that fathers' depression in early childhood affects children.
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In the study, 10% of the dads with 9-month-olds had symptoms that met the criteria for clinical depression, says James Paulson, study leader and a psychologist at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. That compares with 5% for U.S. men the same age, he says.
"Anybody who's had a baby knows it can be intensely ...
